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 "The funky place to meet and eat." Come enjoy good food in good company, surrounded by good art. Located at 324 Burnet Ave, where Burnet intersects Catherine St.
Check out the menu and specials at: www.sparkytown.net
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The North Salina Street Gargoyle |
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Written by Gwen Miller
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Wednesday, 08 April 2009 13:24 |
 Wandering down North Salina, in the vicinity of Mezzanote and Frankie’s (the corner 0f Division Street and N. Salina), one may be startled to look up and notice a disgruntled gargoyle looking down at you. A lone reminder of another era and place, this gargoyle has piqued the interest of the staff at the Northside Collaboratory.
Gargoyles are architectural features rich in meaning. Most serve a practical purpose: they serve as rain spouts in the many gothic cathedrals and churches they adorn. Hence the name: “Gargle” stems from the French word “gargouille”, which means throat. The sound of water rushing through their arched channels is reminiscent of somebody actually clearing their throat. Most often we associate gargoyles with being a creature akin to a dragon, replete with leathery wings, fangs, and other trappings which indicate something slightly macabre and dangerous. However, stone-carvers throughout the centuries have adapted this feature to suit their various humors, fancies and needs. 
The origin of the physical form of the gargoyle itself emanates from an ancient French myth: A giant dragon lived in the craggy outcrops of Rouen, on the river Seine. To appease the fire-breathing beast, the townspeople made offerings of young maidens. In the year 600, St. Romanis promised to slay the dragon if the towns’ occupants all converted to Christianity and received baptism. The dragon was burned at the stake; yet its giant neck proved flame-resistant. The townspeople mounted these remains on the town wall. \Another reason why a simple rain spout took on such a ghastly form would be to encourage people to convert to Christianity. At a time when illiteracy was the norm, frightening images of demons and monsters warned of hell’s inferno, and the damnation awaiting non-believers.
There are many fine places in the United States to see gargoyles; it is rare to see them in such an isolated incidence as seen on North Salina Street. If you have any information about when and why this gargoyle was installed, please do not hesitate to contact Chu Ndulue at
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