Arctic Building Walrus Heads

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High up on the Arctic Building where people might usually expect to see gargoyles or lions are the stone heads of open-mouthed walruses with their tusks in full view. Built in 1916, the Arctic Building served wealthy travelers. It still does today as a luxury hotel. A tusk supposedly fell out in the 1949 earthquake and legend has it the other tusks were subsequently removed soon after. In the 1980s, the walruses finally got their tusks back as well as a facelift. 

Architecture • Weird