The faces and figures lurking above New York

The huge variety of nymphs, grotesques, demons, gargoyles, and other mysterious creatures carved into the facades of New York buildings is pretty astounding.

At left is a creeper perched inside the doorway of the Gotham Comedy Club on West 23rd Street.

And then on the right is another scary dude face, on the Orpheum Theatre on Second Avenue in the East Village.

Of course, they’re not all designed to scare you. This terra cotta female profile (and musical instruments) brightens up a church on West 57th Street.

And at the entrance of an East Village tenenent, this lovely lady greets you.

My favorites are the funny or goofy ones. These two decorate the front of a City University of New York building in the West 130s.

One is impish and silly, while the other seems to be warning students not to end up like him, breaking his back while earning a living doing hard labor.

Tags: City University of New York City, faces carved into NYC buildings, Faces of New York City, Gotham Comedy Club, grotesques and gargoyles, Grotesques in New York City, nymphs in NYC, Orpheum Theatre East Village