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New York, New York: Metal Rats of NYC

On the canopy above the Lexington Avenue side entrance to Grand Central Station. A bit of what passes for whimsy in The Big Apple.

Graybar Building

Address:
420 Lexington Ave., New York, NY
Directions:
On the canopy above the Grand Central Station side entrance, through the Graybar Building. On the west side of Lexington Ave. at the corner of 43rd St.
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Rats climbing poles.

Metal Rats of NYC

Metal rats continue their ascent on the canopy above the Graybar Building entrance.

[Jerome Strauss, 03/22/2012]

Graybar Rats.

Metal Rats of NYC

On the canopy above the entrance to the Graybar Building and Grand Central Station near the corner of 43rd St and Lexington Avenue are three cast metal rats just below the rat guards on the support rods. An architectural detail without an explanation. Evidently the architects (Sloan and Robertson) of the building had done prior buildings with a nautical theme; the reason for these rats has not been fully explained however.

A wonderful and enigmatic detail that most commuters pass under daily without noticing.

[Phil Pasquini, 01/31/2007]

Nearby Offbeat Places

The Whispering HallwayThe Whispering Hallway, New York, NY - < 1 mi.
Museum of the DogMuseum of the Dog, New York, NY - < 1 mi.
Daily News Earth GlobeDaily News Earth Globe, New York, NY - < 1 mi.
In the region:
World's Fair: The Unisphere, Queens, NY - 7 mi.

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