MIDTOWN, Manhattan (WABC) -- New Yorkers will be without Patience and Fortitude for more than two months.
The iconic marble lions stationed outside the New York Public Library - which were named Patience and Fortitude in the 1930s by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia, after the qualities he felt New Yorkers would need to survive the Great Depression - will be getting some much-needed tender loving care.
Starting September 2nd, the lions will be covered as they are cleaned and repaired.
They have guarded the 42nd Street library since 1911 and have become international symbols for open access to knowledge and information.
The $250,000 restoration project is part of a series of improvement projects underway at the library.
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