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A more classical Boston city seal

By adamg on Tue, 09/12/2017 - 9:54am
Boston city seal in the North End

The entrance to the Nazzaro Community Center on North Bennet Street in the North End is topped by a Boston city seal - accompanied by Mercury (the old god of merchants and trade, whose caduceus can be found on older buildings all over downtown) and Neptune, god of the sea.

Back in the day (the center was built in 1906), municipal architects used to love adorning their buildings with classical symbols (such as bucrania).

Neighborhoods: 
North End
Topics: 
History
Free tagging: 
North Bennet Street


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Comments

By bibliotequetressnotloggedin... on Tue, 09/12/2017 - 10:14am.

I noticed caduceus on a different sea- oriented building recently-- maybe the Cunard Building, on State Street? I didn't put 2 & 2 together , connecting Mercury with travel. Very cool, Adam!

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By adamg on Tue, 09/12/2017 - 11:22am.

The Cunard Building is cool in its own right, adorned with anchors and those weird classical fish, but the Board of Trade Building on the other side of State and along Broad has both Viking motifs and a statue of Mercury and Neptune on either side of a globe.

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By NHRD in Rozzie on Tue, 09/12/2017 - 12:02pm.

Adam, I got schooled hard-core by a concerned citizen when I called the sea creatures flanking the seals on the tower piers on the Longfellow Bridge "fish." Never mind the scales and gills, seems that the sculptural term for these creatures is actually dolphins. I fought him long and hard on it until I admitted, begrudgingly, that they are truly called dolphins.

Learn something new every day!

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By adamg on Tue, 09/12/2017 - 12:27pm.

Thanks, I didn't know either, obviously.

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By bibliotequetressnotloggedin... on Thu, 09/14/2017 - 5:07pm.

Board of Trade fits my memory.

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By anon on Tue, 09/12/2017 - 11:00am.

These adornments gave buildings such a mystical, resonant feel, like on is doing something important just by entering them. Today's architects should take note!

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By anon on Tue, 09/12/2017 - 9:33pm.

Totally agree with your comment.

Beautiful architectural detail -- a lovely treasure!

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By Elmer on Tue, 09/12/2017 - 12:58pm.

IMAGE(https://elmercatdotorg.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/callahan-traffic.jpg)
      IMAGE(https://elmercatdotorg.files.wordpress.com/2016/06/flying-mermaid.jpg)
                      ( or is it a flying merman? )

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By adamg on Tue, 09/12/2017 - 1:21pm.

Ferrying young Callahan to heaven?

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By Elmer on Tue, 09/12/2017 - 1:42pm.

    ( I've never seen such a creature depicted elsewhere )

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By aegtx on Tue, 09/12/2017 - 2:44pm.

It's her skirt.

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By Elmer on Tue, 09/12/2017 - 3:02pm.

     ( freakiest artwork in Boston — I'd love to know more about it )

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By Elmer on Tue, 09/12/2017 - 3:09pm.

     ( is it giving "the finger" to people headed to East Boston? )

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By anon on Tue, 09/12/2017 - 8:47pm.

and the angel said to him

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