Penn State Abington installed its lion between the Sutherland Building and the Lares student union building 15 years ago. Penn State University celebrated the 81st anniversary of the dedication of the first Nittany Lion sculpture, a gift from the class of 1940, on Saturday, October 21.

According to PSU News, the original statue at University Park was created by sculptor Heinz Warneke from a 13-ton block of Indiana limestone. In 1968, Warneke approved 10 one-quarter-scale “cubs” to be made and prominently placed at Commonwealth Campuses. Eventually, every campus received its own version of the statue, and some have since replaced theirs with a larger model. 

Photos of the lion’s creation can be found below:

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Photos: Penn State University