The Creepy Book-Reading Gargoyle at West 181st Street

13 Comments

1. saying creepy and human gargoyles is redundant.

2. these look kinda similar to the ones in the woolworth building

3. There are some similar gargoyles (or grotesques, really) on a building on 110th between Broadway and Amsterdam. Creepy (but kinda funny at the same time).

   1. Ha, someone didn’t make it to the bottom of the post 😉

4. Wonder if anyone’s thought of putting surveillance cameras in gargoyles.Creepy Big Brothers!

5. I’m betting that each one is represents an actual person that was a predominant figure at the time.

6. I’ve lived off of 181st and Fort Washington for six years and I love, love, LOVE these gargoyles. Thank you for sharing!

7. There are similar gargoyles on a building here in Toronto — similar faces (no glasses, though), and reading books. The building is a TV station’s studio space now, but it used to be a publishing house… and a Freemason Temple. I wonder if that connects up with the history of these buildings at all.

8. http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=78244633@N00&q=grotesque

   City College of New York has approximately 600 grotesques on a couple of its buildings. I’ve linked to my flickr account and some pictures that I took of them.

   Someone else took a picture of another book-reading grotesque and put it on a blog
   http://ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com/2010/07/16/the-book-reading-grotesque-of-city-college/

9. Just wanted to let you know that eyeglasses aren’t unknown in actual medieval imagery–see here:

   http://www.meadowlarking.com/daily-photo-stone-spectacles/
   or
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Friedrich_Herlin,_Reading_Saint_Peter_%281466%29.jpg
   or
   http://thepragmaticcostumer.wordpress.com/2013/01/23/pinching-your-nose-helping-your-eyes-pince-nez-from-the-15th-19th-century/

10. Despite working in publishing, the one with the book isn’t the one I find most intriguing. It’s the last one – the one holding what appears to be a whole roasted chicken. I had no idea Boston Market had been around so long.

11. In a similar vein:

    http://ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/grotesque-readers-at-a-gramercy-public-school/

12. I found a great picture online at the Museum of the city of NY on their archives site. I hope this link works. http://collections.mcny.org/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult_VPage&VBID=24UAYWTDR4PQ

    If it doesn’t, try searching for Nathan Hale Apartments, 181st St. & Washington Ave, on the website http://collections.mcny.org/.

    I saw the picture there first and then found your page here. I love this stuff. I’m going to put a then/now picture up on my webpage. I hope you don’t mind I use your picture. I will credit you and reference your page. http://Www.WashingtonHeightsMusicalSociety.com

    Thanks for bringing attention to these lovely gargoyles.

    Alexandra

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