Columbus received statue of namesake explorer 66 years ago

Christopher Columbus was uncrated in front of Columbus City Hall 66 years ago today, on Oct. 10, 1955. The bronze statue of the explorer was a gift to the city from the citizens of his birthplace: Genoa, Italy.

The statue was dedicated at the city’s big Columbus Day celebration two days later, where a festive crowd gathered to see the unveiling. There were 13 days of related programming that had begun earlier that month and included a Queen Isabella contest, boat races on the Scioto River, and visits from Italian dignitaries.

Columbus’ likeness gazed out over West Broad Street for 65 years. But the idea of glorifying a man with a history of violence and abuse of Native Americans angered citizen groups, who had been pressing for several years for the statue to come down.

After protests heated up, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther ordered the statue’s removal in the summer of 2020. It is now in secure storage, and a committee will recommend its final disposition. The mayor’s office anticipates that a process to select a new public artwork will begin in early 2022.

After protests and continued vandalism, a statue of Columbus was also removed last year at Columbus State Community College. A third statue of the explorer, holding a globe, remains on the Ohio Statehouse grounds.

Contributor Linda Deitch was a Dispatch librarian for 25 years.

DISPATCH FILE PHOTO The Christopher Columbus statue was uncrated after arriving via train. These words from the Genoa mayor appear on a plaque at the statue’s base: “Testimonial of the values and virtues which the figure and enterprise of the great son of Genoa has entrusted to the human conscience,” and, from Columbus Mayor Jack Sensenbrenner: “We shall ever cherish and be guided by its meaning.” It concludes: “Dedicated October 12, 1955, before 100,000 grateful Americans.”

DORAL CHENOWETH/COLUMBUS DISPATCH The Christopher Columbus statue, shown being removed from Columbus City Hall in July 2020, remains part of the city’s public art collection and is in storage under the oversight of a conservation professional.

AP FILE PHOTO The Christopher Columbus statue is shown in Italy being readied for a trip aboard the Italian liner Cristoforo Colombo for shipment to the United States in 1955.