Municipal bucrania
![Bucrania!](/images/2008/bucrania2008-06-13.jpg)
Bucrania are old Roman symbols depicting the garlanded skulls of oxen sacrificed during feasts. I've walked or driven past the the Municipal Building in Hyde Park for years, but I never noticed until yesterday that it has four of them up above the main entrance (you'll have to look way up to spot them).
Although some would argue they're a reference to a pre-Roman fertility goddess (look at their shapes for a moment), I'm betting the building's architect was simply looking for something classical to go with the columns at the front of the building - just like the architects of older office buildings downtown, who festooned their work with everything from caduceuses to depictions of Neptune to, yes, a bucranium or two.
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Funny... I just noticed those recently too.
I work in Hyde Park and when (and if) I take a lunch, I will sometimes sit in front of the Municiple Building on the benches there. I noticed earlier in the spring that the top of the building was adorned with these... and wondered myself what the inspiration was!