The statue depicts the explorer as a young man, long before he sailed to America, looking toward the west, maps and charts in his hand. At the pedestal are bronze bas-relief plaques depicting scenes from the life of Columbus: at the Court of Queen Isabel; arriving in the tropics and; returning to the Court of Spain. Masks of Native American faces function as clasps to hold the four sections of the obelisk together, and celebrate the people who were already in America when Columbus arrived.
Inscriptions:
CRISTOFORO COLOMBO DISCOVERER OF AMERICA
ERECTED BY THE CITIZENS OF ITALIAN ORIGIN OF ONONDAGA COVNTY
1492 1932
Notes
A group of Italian-Americans first decided to erect a monument to Columbus. It was the brain-child of Professor Torquato DeFelice, sculptor and painter, and Dr. Seraphino Charulli. In 1910, DeFelice visited Renzo V. Baldi in Florence, and returned with a model by Baldi. But it wasn't until 1928 that the fundraising began by the Columbus Monument Association (or Columbus Memorial Association).
The statue of Christopher Columbus was unveiled in Columbus Circle (formerly St. Mary's Circle) on October 12th, 1932. It was given to the city by the Columbus Monument Association Architect, James Dwight Baum.
