Something was missing at 204 West 121st Street and ACP when we walked by the familiar corner this week and we realized that it was the massive lions heads that used to greet folks as they walked by. The bust had ruby eyes, a crown and Jerusharlem engraved at the base. We catalogued the statues earlier last year when they were still intact but noticed that pieces were slowly being chipped away by vandals during the summertime. Possibly the damage was too great to repair and the heads were removed entirely. The wreathed medallion below the head were subsequently removed also to reveal an original engraving of an urn. We had thought that the lions were original to the building but now it turns out that the Eastern Orthodox Coptic Church had constructed them all along many decades ago. The center plaques still remain which state the title of the organization along with the edition of a new brown coat of paint but this corner just got a little less exciting. Photos by Ulysses. See our original post on the EOCC:
LINK
Something was missing at 204 West 121st Street and ACP when we walked by the familiar corner this week and we realized that it was the massive lions heads that used to greet folks as they walked by. The bust had ruby eyes, a crown and Jerusharlem engraved at the base. We catalogued the statues earlier last year when they were still intact but noticed that pieces were slowly being chipped away by vandals during the summertime. Possibly the damage was too great to repair and the heads were removed entirely. The wreathed medallion below the head were subsequently removed also to reveal an original engraving of an urn. We had thought that the lions were original to the building but now it turns out that the Eastern Orthodox Coptic Church had constructed them all along many decades ago. The center plaques still remain which state the title of the organization along with the edition of a new brown coat of paint but this corner just got a little less exciting. Photos by Ulysses. See our original post on the EOCC: LINK
NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean!
ReplyDeleteGotta be some bad juju attached to defacing those. They are FIERCE. . . with the red eyes?!?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info, though. I always thought they Rastafarian Lions of Judah.
I wonder if there is a super in that building who might know where they are. I mean, those things are magnificent and frightening and could probably tell some tales.
That block's not landmarked, is it. . .
Those red ruby eyes were absolutely fierce! The streets east of Adam Clayton Powell from 110-125th are amazingly intact but the buildings are not landmarked. One of these days LPC might get around to working with the Harlem community. A lot of Brooklyn nabes are now getting their historic districts extended but Harlem has seen little new developments in the past decade.
ReplyDeleteWhy are you guys surprised. The real problem are the vandals destroying these. Where are the parents? Why can items like this survive in the village but not here? Parents need to discipline their children and rely less on the government for parenting.
ReplyDelete