Nittany Lion Shrine

The Lion Shrine at Penn State, February 2005

The Nittany Lion Shrine at Pennsylvania State University was dedicated on October 24, 1942 during Homecoming. Animal sculptor Heinz Warneke and stonecutter Joseph Garatti molded a 13-ton block of Indiana Limestone into the most recognizable symbol at Penn State. The shrine was chosen from six models submitted by Warneke.

The shrine is a gift of the class of 1940 and rests in a natural setting of trees near Recreation Building. The site was chosen for its accessibility, the surrounding trees, and the fact that the sculpture would not be dwarfed by nearby buildings. Today, the shrine is the second most photographed location in Pennsylvania.

In 1966 Sue Paterno (wife of football coach Joe Paterno), and a friend secretly splashed water-soluble orange paint on the Nittany Lion statue the week of the Syracuse game. Later that week Syracuse fans covered the statue in oil-based paint, which was tougher to remove.^[1] Since then, Students and Alumni, led by the Lion Ambassadors, guard the Lion Shrine every homecoming.^[2]

It is located in the Farmers' High School Historic District added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.^[3]

References

1. ^ "No. 7 Penn State readies for old rival Syracuse". http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jW31TPPcAWBCv7IMQJAuThcFo3rQD9AJLOI02. Retrieved 2009-09-09. 
2. ^ "Penn State Lion Ambassadors". http://www.clubs.psu.edu/up/lionambassadors/events/lionshrine.htm. Retrieved 2009-09-09. 
3. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2010-07-09. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.