The Christopher Columbus statue which stood in Market Square on the Avenue of the States in Chester for 66 years was removed Sunday.
The statue had become a source of tension in the city following the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis which renewed protests over statues that many people say glorify racist or genocidal figures in American history.
Riggers for the Christopher Columbus Association carefully wrapped the statue before lifting it on a crane and taking it away Sunday.
The statue shows Christopher Columbus dressed in 15th-century clothing, kneeling after landing in the western hemisphere. He holds an orb in his left hand and carries a flag on a pole in his right hand. Below the statue are two bronze plaques on the marble base. One depicts a relief of Columbus’s three sailing ships, the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria with the sun’s rays located in the proper left corner.
It was rededicated in 1995 by the October XII Lodge No. 486 of Order Sons of Italy in America (the original donor) and the Christopher Columbus Philatelic Society according to the website Columbus Monuments, which details monuments to Christopher Columbus worldwide.
A granite marker in front of the statue depicts the Santa Maria and the words “Columbus Center Association 1938.” A black fence surrounds the monument and a plastic wreath sits in front. It was located in a park on Route 291, next to the Old Swedes burial ground at Market Square, not far from Chester City Hall.
The statue is owned by several Italian-American groups that comprise the association, which had the statue built and displayed in 1955.
In a press release, Chester Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland and the Christopher Columbus Memorial Association stated the memorial displayed in the park should reflect and embrace the changing demographics of the City of Chester.
The city will look to find a suitable replacement endorsed by Chester’s residents.
The Christopher Columbus Association left the marble base to the city as a donation so that the replacement can be displayed with minimal cost to the taxpayers.
The association thanked Kirkland and the city for its care, attention, diligence, and diplomacy.
Francis Alexander Malofiy, Esq., who represents the Christopher Columbus Memorial Association, said the statue is in safekeeping and at the appropriate time and place it will be displayed proudly and prominently.
The association released an additional press release noting Columbus’ history as an Italian explorer who changed history.
The association, along with the leaders of the various Italian groups, held meetings to discuss the protection and future of the statue. The association, with the approval of the City of Chester, made the decision to remove the statue and place it in safekeeping to prevent harm and for posterity.
“Many have watched with alarm as this country has forgotten where it came from, who built it, and vilified those who made it possible. The association has grown disappointed that across the nation, statues of Christopher Columbus have senselessly been vandalized and torn down in a dogmatic push to erase history and our origins,” said the release. “We should cherish and treasure the opportunities that America has provided to all. We cannot forget that we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us.”
The statue has been covered with a tarp for safekeeping since last summer.The statue, which was quietly removed without much fanfare on Sunday, remained covered and under watchful eyes since the summer of 2020, when other statues of the famous explorer were often a source of tension in communities nationwide, sometimes being vandalized and illegally removed. In recent years, the man credited for discovering the “New World,” has been the center of controversy and protests, with some claiming that he mistreated the indigenous communities that he encountered on his explorations.
“I am proud to be the lawyer representing the Christopher Columbus Memorial Association,” Malofiy stated. “The removal was a year-long mission which was carefully orchestrated with the elders of many of the Italian groups and Mayor Kirkland. Too many Columbus statues across the country have been desecrated, destroyed, and torn down without cause. Without Columbus there is no New World, there is no America, there is no Declaration of Independence, Constitution, or Bill of Rights. As a first-generation American whose parents immigrated to the U.S. on a boat after their fathers were killed in WWII, I know the horror of war, the call for peace, and the rights in this country often taken for granted. The First Amendment protects our words, thoughts, feelings, religion, and rights to disagree with and petition our government. And, the Second Amendment is there to protect the First. We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. Thank you, Christopher Columbus.”
Each year since 1937, the Italian explorer is celebrated on Oct. 11 with a U.S. federal holiday, Columbus Day, commemorating his landing in the Americas in 1492. In years prior to covering the statue with the tarp, local Italian groups would lay a wreath at the base of the statue every Columbus Day. Once the statue was covered, Malofiy said a night watch went into effect, where groups would patrol the statue in the park on select nights to keep it safe from harm.
Malofiy said that the association has already found a new home site for the Columbus statue, but the group is keeping it under wraps for the time being.
“The statue’s new home will be announced in the near future,” he said.
https://www.delcotimes.com/2021/08/31/christopher-columbus-statue-removed-from-chester
2021-08-31 17:00:10Z
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