Considering how many real little acorn diggers make New York their home, it’s no surprise that architects and designers pay homage to them on city buildings and in parks.
This bushy-tailed squirrel with a fat nut in its hand (paw?) is surrounded by a decorative motif that seems to symbolize fruitfulness.
It appears on a panel outside a long-defunct bank building on Fifth Avenue and 41st Street.
This cast iron squirrel statue guards the entrance to a playground at Stuyvesant Town, where about 100 billion gray or black squirrels scamper around all day, or at least it seems like that on a recent fall afternoon.
These twin squirrels mirror each other above an ornate entrance to a 1922 luxury apartment house at 55 Park Avenue South. They come across kinda evil, no?
A couple more squirrels are on an old Williamsburg Bank building and an Upper East Side apartment building.
Tags: 55 Park Avenue South, animal ornaments on buildings, animal sculptures, architecture of New York City, squirrel motifs, squirrel symbbol, squirrels in New York City, squirrels on buildings, Stuyvesant Town
Ephemeral New York 
November 17, 2011 at 3:35 am |
A most awesome collection of squirrels, permanently etched into the city’s architecture and helping shape its personality. I love this. Thank you for the compendium!
November 17, 2011 at 4:05 am |
You’re welcome! Some people malign them as rats with bushy tails, but I like the little guys.
November 17, 2011 at 3:49 pm |
I love squirrels! Their sweet little faces and busy paws are just so cute.
And the squirrel on the bank makes perfect sense, They save their nuts for the long, cold winter – so be like a squirrel and save your pennies for the future.
November 17, 2011 at 3:55 pm |
Thank you for a wonderful post on my favorite rodent with bushy tails. That last photo in no way proves that squirrels are plotting to enslave the world. Probably a CIA plot to discredit hardworking and cute squirrels. 🙂
December 9, 2011 at 11:44 pm |
Such a charming post. I love your squirrels, and enjoy watching the real things go about their amusing business in the parks.
January 15, 2014 at 2:53 pm |
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June 30, 2023 at 1:24 am |
Howdy, I’ve said it before, even tho I’m way over in Washington state. I really enjoy your blog-site. Thanks!