The Lions of the New York Public Library: Patience and Fortitude

Flanking the Fifth Avenue entrance of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, two Tennessee marble lions have greeted visitors since 1911. Their names? Patience and Fortitude—bestowed by Mayor Fiorello La Guardia in the 1930s, embodying the qualities he felt New Yorkers needed to endure the Great Depression.

Origins

• Sculptor: Edward Clark Potter (known for equestrian statues)
• Carvers: Piccirilli Brothers (Italian immigrant masters, Bronx studio)
• Material: Pink Tennessee marble
• Cost: $8,000 the pair (~$250K today)
• Installation: May 23, 1911 (library dedication day)

Names Through Time

Originally: "Leo Astor" and "Leo Lenox" (honoring library founders John Jacob Astor and James Lenox). Later: "Lady Astor" and "Lord Lenox" (despite both being male lions). La Guardia renamed them 1930s—names stuck.

Cultural Icons

• Dressed for holidays (wreaths, top hats, Yankees caps)
• Featured in Ghostbusters, Sex and the City, The Day After Tomorrow, countless ads
• NYPL logo since 2010
• Hashtags: #PatienceAndFortitude
• 2011 centennial: professional cleaning, restoration, 3D scanning

What They Guard

Not books—the building's a research library (non-circulating). They guard access: to 56M items, 92 locations, 18M patrons/year. The rose marble steps wear thin from millions of footsteps. The lions endure—patient, fortitudinous, silent witnesses to the city's intellect.