icon caret-left icon caret-right instagram pinterest linkedin facebook twitter goodreads question-circle facebook circle twitter circle linkedin circle instagram circle goodreads circle pinterest circle

Ancient Goddesses in New York

An Online Guide to Discovering the Sacred Feminine in
Museums, Temples, and Public Places

Theater Goddesses

 

Goddesses can be found around theater and music from the earliest times. Ancient theaters were blessed with the images of muses and goddesses of fame, victory, and the arts. Keep your eyes open and you may find them in surprising places around New York. Here are a few.

 

 

Goddesses Aboved the Manhattan Center Marquee

Photo: Laurie Sue Brockway/Goddess Communications
 
The Manhattan Center is one of New York's classic gathering places for the arts and entertainment. It has also hosted events like firewalking with Tony Robbins and spiritual services with the Hindu guru Amacchi, who is also known as the hugging saint. Not everyone knows it was built in 1906 by Oscar Hammerstein as the Manhattan Opera House, and was meant to compete with the Metropolitan Opera. Their website states, "After a few short years, the Metropolitan Opera House came to him requesting that he not compete with them, and made him an offer that he could not refuse." Shortly afterward, "Mr. Hammerstein sold the building to the Shubert brothers where they continued to feature a variety of shows and concerts." In 1922, it was purchased by the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite of Free Masonry. The New World Encyclopedia says, "The Masons built the Grand Ballroom on the seventh floor as well as a new building facade." They included four goddesses and two lions above the marquee. (The Roman Goddess of the dawn, Aurora, is sometimes included in this tradition, but could not confirm that it is her head). The Manhattan Center is now a multimedia recording venue and premier entertainment center with folks from Belafonte to the Grateful Dead having performed there.

Polyhymnia at the Liederkranz

Terese Loeb Kreuzer / Alamy Stock Photo
 
A statue of Polyhymnia, the Greek goddess of poetry, by Giuseppe Moratti is outside the Liederkranz of the City of New York on the Upper East Side.

The Ziegfeld Goddess

ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy Stock Photo
 
A view of 'The Ziegfeld Head' located in front of a privately owned brownstone at 52 East 80th Street on the Upper East Side. The Greco-Roman goddess head is the last remaining relic viewable from an NYC street, from the original Ziegfeld Theatre which opened in 1927 on 6th Avenue and 54th Street. While the original theatre was demolished in 1966 the head survived, and theater producer Jerry Hammer was able to obtain the head, simply because he joked with the developer he would like to have the head. Four months later a crane appeared and lowered the head.

Fame Goddess at the Longacre

Photo: Epicgenius/Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License
 
Longacre Theater Fame Goddess and, that other Goddess, Diana
 
Pheme Statue Frieze - Goddess of Theater Fame - can be seen in multiples on the facade of the historic Longacre Theater on 48th Street and Broadway. She is holding a mask and scroll.

Guardian Goddess at the Beacon

 Patti McConville / Alamy Stock Photo
 
One of two goddesses that guard the stage at the historic Beacon Theater in New York City.

Muses at the Beacon

Patti McConville / Alamy Stock Photo

 

The Muses Bless the Beacon Theater.

Loading…}