Penn State’s Nittany Lion Shrine to remain closed for ‘some time’ after vandalism

STATE COLLEGE — It could be “some time” before Penn State students and alumni are able to again pose with the university’s iconic Nittany Lion Shrine, according to a university spokesperson.

Days after the campus landmark was vandalized, with the statue’s left ear broken off and red paint splashed across its head, the area remains fenced off. In what the university referred to as “profoundly disturbing acts,” red paint was also used to graffiti Old Main and the Hintz Family Alumni Center.

But it’s the statue, one of Penn State’s most-visited landmarks, that still remains closed.

“The repair of the statue is going to take some time as remaking, replacing and successfully re-attaching the left ear will require retaining a sculptor who can replicate the lost appendage,” Penn State spokesperson Lisa Powers said in an email Wednesday. “However, the shrine will likely be off-line for some time.

“A final cleaning must be done, and a protective coating applied as well. No definitive timeline has yet been given as it will depend on the sculptor’s schedule and the amount of work needed to make the Lion whole.”

The Lion Shrine was closed for a full month last summer to install a new walkway and make improvements to the nearby viewing platform.

The right ear had been damaged several times in the past, most recently over State Patty’s Day weekend in 2018.

The recent damages rankled much of the Penn State community, especially since it came during commencement weekend — sometime late Saturday or early Sunday — meaning many graduates didn’t have the chance to pose with the statue before it was closed.

The owner of a downtown State College pizzeria, Weirdoughs, announced on Instagram earlier this week that he’s offering a $3,000 reward on information leading to the arrest of those who destroyed Penn State property. A university spokesperson said Wednesday that the investigation is ongoing.

Student publication Onward State released a series of photos on the vandalism Sunday morning. In those photos, the phrase, “Time is up” is written in red paint on the entrance of Old Main.