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The top creepiest statues in New York City
There are countless statues in New York City, each one put into place for a different reason. Many of these statues have been there for decades, often gifts and peace offerings from other countries. The Statue of Liberty, for example, was a peace offering from France, officially dedicated in the year 1886. Lady Liberty represents the Roman goddess of freedom, Libertas. While the word 'creepy' typically does not pop into anyone's head when they think of this important statue, there are plenty of other monuments in good ol' New York which can make the most fearless person's skin crawl.Listed here are the top creepiest statues in New York City. Understand that while some of these statues may seem like odd choices, there is always a rhyme and reason behind picking them. Fasten your safety belts and get ready for an interesting journey into the weirdest monuments the Big Apple has to offer.
1. Miguel de Cervantes (right) First on the list is the statue of famed Spanish writer and painter, Miguel de Cervantes. Cervantes was born on Sep. 29, 1547 and died April 23, 1616. He lived in Madrid for a large portion of his life and is most popularly known for writing the epic novel "Don Quixote." A statue of him currently rests on the NYU campus near Fifth Avenue and has been in place since 1986. This particular statue is known for giving the viewer a solemn, lonely feeling. Plus, it does sort of look like he is watching everyone as they walk past him. At any rate, whether some people agree or not, the statue of Miguel de Cervates is pretty creepy.
2. Lin Ze Xu This is probably an odd choice, considering Lin Ze Xu was a widely respected Chinese scholar and member of the Qing Dynasty, advocating peace and moral high-ground during his tenure--but the selection stands. Xu was born Aug. 30, 1785 and died Nov. 22, 1850. A statue was erected by an unknown sculptor in 1999 and is now sitting on the busy intersection of East Broadway St. and Chatham Square. Xu was chosen to be on this list of creepy statues because of his grim expression and stature. Xu's memorial has him dressed in ancient Chinese garb, looking as if he is lording over the many passerby of Broadway St.
3. Dolly Dimples Now it's time to kick it into high gear. Dolly Dimples is an extremely odd example of New York statues, currently owned by a local candy shop called Valvo's Candy. She is a giant 1950's style little girl and can be seen in the distance waving at passersby, sporting a rather unscrupulous smile. She was originally part of a drive-in restaurant in the 1970s called Pat's Diner. While Dolly Dimples is probably modeled after the idea of a sweet, innocent school-girl, she at least appears to have ulterior motives hidden somewhere behind that creepy grin of hers.
4.Big Leather Guy This statue resides off of Route 30 and used to belong to Alvord's House of Leather. Alvord's closed in late 1998 and now the statue has found a new home. He looks quite a lot like the fabled character Paul Bunyon and is totally retro, sporting his 1970s suede jacket and high-legged boots. Big Leather Guy is now positioned outside of the entry way at Adirondack Leather Shop, greeting customers with his all-too-warm smile.
5.The Long Island Sphinx Near the beaches of Long Island resides a strange, small-scale 'replica' of the mighty Sphinx. This one more than makes the list of creepy New York City statues, not only because of it's decidedly lecherous expression, but because of an odd inscription carved into his midsection, which reads: "She Who Climbs To The Sphinx's Head, A Millionaire Will Surely Wed."
6.The Stoned Shores of Staten Island Finally, the time comes to mention the stone structures of Staten Island's beaches. These strange monuments litter the shores, taking the viewer on a wild journey to what appears to be a very creepy alien landscape, full of towers, rooms and Stonehenge-like structures. These oddities were in fact built by Douglas Schwartz, who claims that his creations, spanning over a half-mile, are the product of an ecological art experiment. Regardless of their purpose, Schwartz gets awarded the official crown for 'King of Creepiness.'
Filed under: North America, United States
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Carlton Aug 10th 2011 1:31PM
I love the creepy look on the Long Island Sphinx
Steven Aug 10th 2011 3:28PM
You said top five then why did you put six? Your descripton of each statue didn't tell us the reasoning as to why it was creepy you just stated the facts.This article has so many errors the person editing this should be fired.
Jennifer Aug 10th 2011 5:10PM
Uh, the title of the article says creepiest statues in New York City, right? Well, the sphinx statue is in Suffolk County on Long Island, not NYC. Route 30 is somewhere in Western NY State. Valvo's Candy is on the coast of Lake Erie. So 3 out of the 6 of your "creepiest statues in New York City" are not in the City. Would have been easier just to say New York State.
Adam Aug 10th 2011 9:37PM
It looks like there was indeed some editing errors here. It looks like the writer wanted to write about statues in New York State and the editors got mixed up and inserted New York City. Also, I don't think that the author really has to say WHY they are creepy. It seems as if he chose the ones he thought would fit the bill and left it to the reader to form their own opinion on why they were creepy. I for one like that style of writing.
Either way, the editors really shouldn't have messed with this like they did if that is what happens. I don't see this as an author mistake, as the writing itself is succinct and has near perfect pacing.
Adam Aug 10th 2011 9:43PM
Also, another thing that makes me suspicious of bad doctoring by an editor is that the author never once says "Top 5 Creepiest Statues." However, the link supplied by the editor lists this as a "top 5," as can be seen below.
"http://www.gadling.com/2011/08/10/top-5-creepiest-statues-in-new-york-city/1#c34629603."
If I were the writer of this article, I would be mad. I have written my share of articles way back when (I am now retired), and you wouldn't believe how many bad editors a writer can be subjected to. And there's not a thing the author can usually do about it.
I might be wrong, but based on my life experiences, that's my take on it.
SmokyJoe Aug 10th 2011 10:55PM
The first two statues and the second three are apples and oranges, they con't be compared. I see nothing creepy in the first two statues and the others are more campy than creepy...