The lions adorning city buildings

Patience and Fortitude, the marble lions standing guard outside the New York Public Library main branch, are probably the best known.

But images of the king of the jungle adorn lots of New York buildings. The one above comes from 675 Sixth Avenue. Now a Trader Joe’s, this stately Ladies Mile structure once housed a Barnes & Noble and was originally home base of the Adams Dry Goods company.

Lions symbolize strength, courage, and power—the latter especially worshipped in New York City.

At left and right, two lions, from Union Square and East 26th Street, carry garlands between their teeth. 

The lion at left with the ring in its jaw is carved into the facade of the Alhambra Ballroom building in Harlem. Opened in 1926, this dance hall hosted Bessie Smith, Jelly Roll Morton, and a waitress named Billie Holiday.

Tags: Adams Dry Goods store, Alhambra Ballroom Harlem, Billie Holiday in New York City, images on NYC buildings, Lion images in New York City, lion sculptures in NYC, lions as symbols, New York Public Library lions, Patience and Fortitude