The apartment building at 55 Park Avenue South looks like a typical expensive and elegant pre-war residence.
So why did the developer put these carved images of men on the facade?
One is reading, one is thinking with a broom in his hand. One looks like he’s tying a string around a small package.
And the man with what looks like a pail? I don’t have any idea what he is doing. But I like him.
Tags: 55 Park Avenue South, gargoyles, gargoyles and grotesques in New York City, Grotesques New York City, New York apartment building, Ornamental New York apartment buildings, Pre-war luxury apartment, sculptures on buildings
Ephemeral New York 
December 15, 2011 at 4:58 am |
The guy “tying a string” is the iceman, holding tongs holding a block of ice… I was an iceman in my college years in the early 70s on Staten Island. (Me as an iceman. The red things are at the bottom of the pic are ice tongs. (http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2127/82/105/1275775972/n1275775972_30297507_8938.jpg)
The guy with the pail I am guessing is the coal man with a bucket of coal.
December 15, 2011 at 5:03 am |
Ah, thank you for your insight! Iceman, coalman: now it all seems clear.
December 15, 2011 at 8:34 pm |
Yes, that pail is called a “coal hod” and those are lumps of coal that he is dropping from his free hand
December 17, 2011 at 7:45 pm |
Great site. Just fascinating and so well done! I linked to you via an image on my blog.
December 19, 2011 at 6:42 pm |
The guy with the broom looks like Steve Jobs.