Last night I posted about the Marine Exchange that used to sit atop Warehouse No.1 in San Pedro.
Here is a bit more about the six-story warehouse.
This illustration is from the Los Angeles Times, Dec. 6, 1914.
LA_Times
I was surprised to see architectural ornamentation like these Tiger Heads (they appear to be placed at each floor)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_Warehouse_No._1
& if you look closely, there's a pipe in ea. lion's mouth, so they're not merely decorative.
(even though the wiki page simply calls them "decorative faces")
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_Warehouse_No._1
So what are they? If they're downspouts, why would they be placed in a vertical line at each floor. Wouldn't they just be along the roof-line (like a gargoyle*)
*gargoyle (/ˈɡɑːrɡɔɪl/) is a carved or formed 'grotesque' with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing rainwater from running down masonry walls and eroding the mortar between. Rainwater typically exits through the open mouth."
_