Christopher Columbus Statue

In 1910, a grand gift arrived in Detroit. The Christopher Columbus Statue, a bust of the explorer, was dedicated on October 12th. This gift from the readers of La Tribuna Italiana d’America marked the 400th anniversary of Columbus’s death. The Christopher Columbus Statue, sculpted by Augusto Rivalta, sat atop a marble pedestal. It proudly displayed a plaque flanked by ship bows. This plaque declared: “Christopher Columbus, a great son of Italy. Born 1435 – Died 1506. Discovered America October 12, 1492. This monument is dedicated to his honor by the Italians of Detroit, October 12, 1910.” The Christopher Columbus Statue wasn’t universally popular from the beginning. Some Italian Detroiters desired a full statue, not just a bust. They even went before the city council to voice their preference for a “$25,000 monument, with feet”. The Christopher Columbus Statue originally stood at the north end of Washington Boulevard at Park Avenue. It mirrored the Alexander Macomb Monument at the south end. Every Columbus Day, the Italian community would gather at the Christopher Columbus Statue. They would lay wreaths at its base. Time marched on, and so did the Christopher Columbus Statue. In 1987, it was removed for restoration. It was then rededicated at East Jefferson Avenue and Randolph Street. The Christopher Columbus Statue became a lightning rod for controversy. Its presence sparked protests and vandalism due to Columbus’s brutal treatment of Indigenous peoples. In 2017, Councilwoman Raquel Castañeda-López called for the Christopher Columbus Statue’s removal. She also advocated for Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Amidst the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, Mayor Mike Duggan ordered the Christopher Columbus Statue’s removal. The bust was placed in storage, a silent participant in a complex dialogue about history, representation, and social justice.