Prudential Lions

The Prudential Lions are sculptures in Newark, New Jersey designed by Karl Bitter. The two carved limestone companion pieces depict seated male lions, each with its front paw placed on a sphere. They are approximately 7 feet (2.1 m) tall and weigh 2,900 pounds (1,300 kg) each. They been placed in three different locations.

Prudential Lions
Prudential Lions in situ (1956)
ArtistKarl Bitter
Completion date1901
Dimensions7 feet (2.1 m) cm (??)
LocationNewark, New Jersey, US
Coordinates40.737518°N 74.179637°W / 40.737518; -74.179637
OwnerCity of Newark

The works were originally created 1901 and stood above the front entrance of the Prudential Headquarters in Newark, New Jersey until the Prudential Home Office was demolished in 1956 and they were removed. They were given to Essex County Parks Commission by the Prudential Insurance Company of America and installed in Branch Brook Park in 1959.[1][2][3][4]

In 2011, the Branch Brook Park Alliance commissioned the restoration the original statues and the creation of precast concrete replicas.[5][6][7][8] The original sculptures were placed at the Essex County Hall of Records, adjacent to the Essex County Courthouse, while the replicas were placed in the park where the originals had been located.

See also

References
  1. National Register Historic Places. "Branch Brook Park" (PDF). US Department of the Interior. Retrieved April 10, 2023. Prudential Lions: Two Lions, 8 feet tall, weighing 3 tons apiece. They are the original sculp- tures by Karl Bitter for the Prudential Insurance Company of America. From 1901 - 1956 the Lions were located above the doors of the Broad Street entrance to the Prudential. When that building was razed to make way for the company's new corporate office, the Lions were removed. Prudential presented them to the Essex County Park Commission on June 1, 1959. The were placed on either side of the boat landing near the concert mall.
  2. "Prudential Lions · DANA". dana.njit.edu.
  3. "Prudential Lions - Originals". KREILICK CONSERVATION, LLC.
  4. "Cultural Landscape Report, Treatment, and Management Plan for Branch Brook Park" (PDF). 2005. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  5. "$4 Million Facelift at Branch Brook Park: DiVincenzo announces Concert Grove Dedicated to Prudential Financial Memorial Cherry Tree Grove Rededicated to Kiyofumi Sakaguchi". The Jersey Tomato Press.
  6. "ESSEX COUNTY EXECUTIVE DIVINCENZO AND BRANCH BROOK PARK ALLIANCE ANNOUNCE LIONS SCULPTURES IN ESSEX COUNTY BRANCH BROOK TO BE RESTORED" (PDF). 8 February 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  7. "Prudential Lions Story". MonumentsIn3d.com.
  8. Star-Ledger, Eunice Lee/The (November 13, 2011). "Tattered lion statues replaced by new, cement replicas in Newark park". nj.
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