NYC’s best gargoyles and grotesques

MANHATTAN

13 Apartment building at 81 Irving Place
Designed by George Pelham in 1929 for Dr. Clarence C. Rice, 1920s throat specialist to the stars, this 14-story Gramercy icon is plastered with winged beasts. Hunched grotesques sit low on the facade, but “Gargoyles in Manhattan” walking-tour guide Alfred Pommer suggests craning the neck for a peek at 81 Irving’s best.
Subway: L, N, Q, R, W, 4, 5, 6 to 14th St–Union Sq

14 Bank of Metropolis Building at 31 Union Sq West
“Gargoyles in Manhattan” guide Pommer counts 12 lion heads roaring from the upper floors of this 16-story Renaissance-revival–style building. The pack of stone kitties was added as part of architect Bruce Price’s renovations to the 19th-century bank behemoth in 1903.
Subway: L, N, Q, R, W, 4, 5, 6 to 14th St–Union Sq

15 Lincoln Building
The fierce eagle/machine gun grotesque stretching out from J.E.R. Carpenter’s classic Manhattan office tower, also featured in Pommer’s “Gargoyles in Manhattan” tour, might be hard to see hidden amid Lincoln’s 55 stories, so check out some close up images on nyc-architecture.com.
Subway: 42nd St S, 4, 5, 6, 7 to 42nd St–Grand Central

16 Ansonia Hotel
In a 2002 in a piece for The New York Times, The Golems of Gotham writer Thane Rosenbaum, admitted, “The ones I like best are along West 74th Street, facing the loading docks of Fairway supermarket.”
Subway: 1, 2, 3 to 72nd St

17 Lucerne Hotel
For a gander at architect Harry B. Mulliken’s most sinister beasts, Thane Rosenbaum recommends sticking to the Amsterdam side. “I think there’s a club right now that’s there,” he explains, “and above the club there’s some really great gargoyles.”
Subway: 1 to 79th St

18 The Dorilton apartments
Constructed in 1902 from the designs of Janes and Leo, the Dorilton huddles its grotesques high above its south entrance. For a good look, Thane Rosenbaum recommends standing close and squinting upward. “The dirty little secret about watching gargoyles,” he says, “is you can’t really see any of them from a distance, because the buildings are surrounded by other buildings.”
Subway: 1, 2, 3 to 72nd St

19 90 West Street
Renovations on Cass Gilbert’s 1907 superstructure, which was severely damaged during the September 11th attacks, include an entirely revamped batch of gargoyles, many of whom were inspired by the structure’s key renovators.
Subway: A, C to Chambers St; E to World Trade Center; 2, 3 to Park Pl

20 The Cathedral of St. John the Divine
Construction on the cathedral was stopped after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, but was picked up in 1978 under stone carver Simon Verity. And you thought Project Runway was filled with drama!
Subway: 1 to 110th St–Cathedral Pkwy

21 Riverside Church
The Riverside Church held its first service in 1930. Those interested in a special gargoyle tour with Riverside Church archivist Victor Jordan should speak with Raymond Rodriguez at the church’s visitors’ center.
Subway: 1 to 116th St–Columbia Univ

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