Atlas Obscura Covers Brooklyn Daily Eagle's Bronze Eagle Sculpture at Brooklyn Public Library

NYC: Brooklyn Public Library - Central Library - Brooklyn Daily Eagle | This cast-zinc eagle, on view above the entrance to the Central Library, is the distinctive emblem of Brooklyn's historic newspaper, <i>The Brooklyn Daily Eagle</i>. Kindly loaned by the Brooklyn Historical Society, the eagle signals Brooklyn Public Library's position as the preeminent repository for materials on the newspaper. Weighing over 300 pounds, the eagle was sculpted in 1892 by the Piccirilli Brothers and cast at the Hecla Iron Works in Williamsburg. The sculpture, originally perched above the doorwawy of the <i>Eagle's</i> office at Johnson and Washington Streets, was removed when the building was demolished in 1955 and became the property of the Brooklyn Historical Society. It was was moved to the sculpture garden of the Brooklyn Museum, until it was restored and returned to the Historical Society in 1989.

The Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) is the fifth largest public library system in the United States. The main branch, the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wallyg/180616072/">Central Library</a>, is located next to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wallyg/sets/72157594185702272/">Prospect Park</a>, just off <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wallyg/180403457/in/set-72157600164126901/">Grand Army Plaza</a>, where Eastern Parkway and Flatbush Avenue intersect. Each year, more than 1.5 million people use the central library, which contains more than 1.5 million books, magazines, and multimedia materials.

The site for the Central Library was chosen in 1905 to replace the small outmoded structure on Montague Street. Foundations, however, were not laid until 1914 and construction dragged until 1937. Finally opened on February 1, 1941, the $5 million neoclassic building, designed by Alfred Morton Githens and Francis Keally, resembles an open book, with the spine at the main entrance on the plaza, and the two wings running along the avenues. The stair terrace and concave entrance, adorned with impressive <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wallyg/2415511956/">Art Deco reliefs</a> by Thomas Hudson Jones and C. Paul Jennewin, were designed to reflect the ellipitcal configuration of the plaza.

The Central Library was designated a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1997.

National Register #01001446

These things we hold dear | I can't explain the weirdness the light played on the silhouettes, but I still like the photograph. Here's a <a href="http://bighugelabs.com/onblack.php?id=4645991529&size=large" rel="nofollow">better look</a>.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle Eagle at the Central Library

Before it became a borough in the New York City consolidation of 1897, Brooklyn was the 3rd largest City in the nation. As such, it needed to have a world-class newspaper of its own, a spot filled by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle ran for "114 years, from its first edition on October 26th, 1841 until it’s sad demise in 1955." Long before its conversion to upscale condos, the newspaper's office on Old Fulton Street had an amazing cast bronze eagle sculpture adorning its entrance. That very eagle now sits in the Brooklyn Public Library.

The main entrance to Brooklyn’s Central Library at Grand Army Plaza is quite remarkable. An imposing 40-foot-high doorway of shining bronze, it is decorated with glittering Art Deco likenesses of famous American writers. But on the inside, above the doorway, and going mostly unnoticed by the thousands of daily library goers, is a relic from the days when Brooklyn was one of the most thriving metropolis’ in the country.

Read the full article for more about this impressive and historic cast bronze sculpture.

via Atlas Obscura

Brooklyn Public Library

Matt Coneybeare

Editor in Chief

Matt enjoys exploring the City's with his partner and son. He is an avid marathon runner, and spends most of his time eating, running, and working on cool stuff.

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