The two panthers keeping watch over Prospect Park seem ready to pounce

Statues of lions flanking entryways are not unusual in New York City public and private spaces. The two most famous are probably Patience and Fortitude, the beloved lions guarding the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue (and named by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia to inspire strength during the Depression). But panthers? One ferocious pair stands watch over the Third Street entrance to Prospect Park. They’re the creations of Alexander Phimister Proctor, an animalier who gained fame in the late 19th century. Like so many other elements of the Prospect Park, these two bronze panthers weren’t part of the original park that opened in the 1860s. Installed in 1898 on limestone pediments by Stanford White, the panthers “were added when the perimeter of the park was transformed at the end of the 19th century with the introduction of monumental neoclassical gateways and shelters of varying size and purpose,” states NYC Parks. You don’t see too many panther statues in New York City. But I can…