I just love the name. Skylands. It rings of long vistas and a sort of mythology; like it is a place where eagles live. And if you were to drive up to Skylands and the NJ State Botanical Gardens you would indeed find eagles. 5000 pound eagles. And they are festooned with holiday finery at this time of year. There is an annual gala fundraiser and volunteers dress up Skylands, the manor house at the gardens for the holidays. This year’s theme was “A Traditional Holiday”. Apparently that also means wreathing the eagles (think lions at NY Public Library). These eagles, for there are two of them, one on either side of the entrance to the gardens, graced the facade of Pennsylvania Station in New York City for 53 years. The building was demolished in 1965 and the pink granite eagles were scattered around the country. They are intended, I believe to look fierce, but this one only looks worried or maybe chagrined to me. Perhaps he is afraid he looks like a dork wearing a wreath.
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He reminds me of Sam the Eagle from The Muppet Show. http://www.metapeeps.com/images/famous_images/Sam_the_Eagle.jpg
Anyway . . .
Great picture. The eagle looks very unhappy 🙂
It looks awkward to wear that thing. Funny!
Oh! poor eagle…how come they dress you like that 😉
That is a very noble name — Skylands.
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Beautiful shot of an amazing place, I’ve heard great things about these gardens.
Cheers!
Regina In Pictures
Poor old eagle he looks like he is missing his old home in NY. Nice post.
I got an email asking about the eagles. There originally 14 of them on the 7th Avenue side of the building. They were commissioned by Architect Stanford White and sculpted in 1909 by Adolph A. Weinman. That’s about all I know.
I agree with you – he looks chagrined rather than dominant or protective. Or maybe the greenery is choking him.
I wonder where the other 12 eagles ended up?
Thanks for the little tour of your world with all the great links…
I think that eagle wants the wreath gone…
Well, one is still there on 7th Ave and another at Cooper Union, downtown. The Smithsonian has 1, there are 2 in Kansas City, MO, 1 is on the Market Street Bridge in Philly, I think there is another one on some random street in NY, and there is one on Long Island, NY, and I think there is one in Maine. Where the rest are I don’t know.
I must say that eagle dose look worried about something. Maybe he is afraid to move again.
a very interesting post and i love the eagle…thanks for sharing with us 🙂
That eagle looks very worried. It’s probably been following the news.