NY Public Library's iconic lion statues return after cleaning, repairs

MIDTOWN, Manhattan (WABC) -- After two months of hard work, The New York Library's iconic lions have finally been restored.

The library spent about $270,000 to clean, repair and protect the 108-year-old statues.

They were covered up back on September 2nd as the work began.

The marble lions have welcomed visitors to the 42nd Street Library since it opened in 1911.

"Patience" and "Fortitude" were given their names by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia during the Great Depression.

He believed New Yorkers needed those virtues to make it though tough times.

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