Comparable to this post from this past summer, I stumbled upon the shot from Herald Square of the James Gordon Bennett monument (featuring gruff, stony-faced bell-ringers Stuff and Guff) taken in 1980 by one Edsijmons (who has three excellent sets of NYC photos from that year).
Similar to that post about Bryant Park, Edsijmons’ photo shows the Herald Square monument in very rough shape and slathered with graffiti, notably the ominous legend, “Take History Into Our Hands.” Again, in 2012, it’s hard to imagine this part of town as being so unkempt, but there it is.
For more about the restoration of Stuff & Guff, click here.
My favorite aspect about this bit of public art, however, is the creepy owl with the piercing fluorescent eyes. Seek him out.
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