Battered Christopher Columbus Statue Resurrected by White House
Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell /
The White House installed a statue of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus early Sunday, constructed from the remains of a monument that was destroyed in a 2020 Black Lives Matter protest.
The new statue is located outside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House.
The original statue was located in Columbus Piazza in Baltimore, Maryland, before protesters tore it down and dumped it into the city’s Inner Harbor in 2020.
However, the pieces were retrieved from the harbor, and a local artist used them to create a 13-foot, 1-ton replica.
The statue was commissioned by the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations and is part of the White House’s celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.
“Columbus statues have long stood as symbols of pride and cultural identity for more than 18 million Americans of Italian descent,” Conference President Basil M. Russo said in a statement.
“For over a century, Columbus’s legacy helped Italian immigrants navigate prejudice and hardship, serving as a source of unity and belonging as they built new lives in this country.”