The New York Public Library’s beloved marble lions Patience and Fortitude are wearing their own lion-sized masks to set an example and remind New Yorkers to stay safe and follow expert guidelines to combat the spread of COVID-19.
Source: Jonathan Blanc / NYPL
The two lion sculptures—who have stood strong in the face of countless historic moments while guarding the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street—received their masks (which are three feet wide and two feet tall) this morning. They arrive as the City continues making progress on reopening, and as the Library system prepares to reopen a limited number of its branches (closed since mid-March) for grab-and-go service on July 13. Masks will be mandatory to enter the branches to pick up or drop off materials.
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“Patience and Fortitude are the perfect symbols for the strengths our City and our nation need now even more,” said New York Public Library President Anthony W. Marx. “Like them, New Yorkers are strong and resilient and can weather any storm. We will get to the other side of this public health crisis together. But to do so, we must remain vigilant, we must have patience and fortitude, and we must follow what experts tell us, especially as we continue to reopen our cities. The lions, protectors of knowledge and truth who have seen 109 years worth of history, are setting that example.”
Source: Jonathan Blanc / NYPL
The lions, who celebrated their 109th birthday in May, wear wreaths every December, wore Mets and Yankees caps during the 2000 Subway Series, and wore top hats to celebrate the Library system’s Centennial in 1995. But this is the first time that they have worn masks. The masks—like anything placed on the historic lions—were made with non-eroding material to ensure that they cannot damage the marble.
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area.
He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit.
Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.
