5. Civic Fame on top of David Dinkins Municipal Building, 1 Centre Street
This gilded statue upstages its utilitarian sister statue, Lady Justice at City Hall, in size. Sitting on top of a 40-story building, the 25-foot tall statue is likely the city’s highest statue. The Roman goddess holds a laurel branch and wears a five-notched crown representing the five boroughs.
Sculptor Adolph A. Weinman designed the statue in 1913. Civic Fame cost $5,000 to construct, with gilding adding another $1,000 to its final cost. The statue was given a new coat of gold leaf in 1974 at a price of $42,000. Weinman chose the legendary Audrey Munson as his model for Civic Fame. Munson is known as ‘America’s first supermodel’ for the sheer number of statues for which she posed.