Statue of Christopher Columbus (Baltimore) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Christopher Columbus |
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Columbus Piazza in April 2015
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| Artist | Mauro Bigarani |
| Completion date | 8 October 1984 |
| Medium | Marble sculpture |
| Subject | Christopher Columbus |
| Dimensions | 4.2 m (14 ft) |
| Condition | Destroyed, dumped in the Inner Harbor |
| Location | Eastern Avenue & President Street Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Owner | City of Baltimore |
The Christopher Columbus Monument was a large marble statue of the famous explorer Christopher Columbus. It stood in the Little Italy area of Downtown Baltimore, Maryland. On July 4, 2020, people protesting took the statue down. They then put it into the Inner Harbor. This happened during a time when many monuments were being removed across the country.
What the Monument Looked Like
The statue was a marble sculpture of Christopher Columbus. The monument also had a marble base. This base showed the three ships of Columbus's fleet. These ships were the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María. The monument had words carved into it that said "Discoverer of America."
History of the Monument
This Christopher Columbus Monument was the newest of three statues in Baltimore. All three were built to honor the explorer Christopher Columbus. This statue was located in Columbus Piazza. Mauro Bigarani designed the sculpture.
Money for the statue came from donations. These donations were from the Italian American Organization United of Maryland. The Italian American community of Baltimore also helped. The statue was officially shown to the public in October 1984. The Mayor of Baltimore at the time, William Donald Schaefer, was there. So was the President of the United States, Ronald Reagan.
How the Monument Was Removed
On Independence Day in 2020, a group of people gathered at the piazza. They used ropes to pull down the statue. Videos showed them pulling on the top of the monument. The statue then fell to the ground and broke into pieces. The people then rolled parts of the statue into the Jones Falls canal. This canal is part of the Baltimore Harbor.
This event happened a few days after a group called Baltimore BLOC gave a warning. They said they would remove the monument if the city did not do it first. After the statue was taken down, Baltimore BLOC praised those who were involved.
Before the statue was removed, some people tried to save it. A former State Senator, John Pica, tried to raise money. He wanted to move the statue to a new place. This move was estimated to cost about $100,000. On June 26, 2020, supporters of the monument gathered. They included state delegates Nino Mangione and Kathy Szeliga. State senator Johnny Salling was also there. They wanted the monument to stay where it was.
Many monuments were being removed across America at this time. People had different reactions to the statue's removal. Governor Larry Hogan said he did not agree with the damage. He suggested people should talk about monument removal in a helpful way. Mayor Jack Young did not directly say he disagreed with the people who removed it. He said the statue's removal was part of a "national and global reexamination over monuments." This meant people everywhere were rethinking monuments.
