Statue of Christopher Columbus (Buffalo, New York)

Statue of Christopher Columbus
The memorial in March 2020
Artist	Giovanni Polizzi
Subject	Christopher Columbus
Location	Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Coordinates	42°54′4.4″N78°53′34.6″W / 42.901222°N 78.892944°W / 42.901222; -78.892944

A statue of Christopher Columbus by the sculptor Giovanni Polizzi ^[1] formerly stood in Columbus Park, in Buffalo, New York. ^{[2] [3]}

History

The statue was originally installed downtown in 1952 on the tiny triangular block bounded by Franklin, Niagara and West Eagle streets. ^[4]

In the early 1970s, during the administration of Mayor Stanley Makowski, it was moved 15 blocks north, to make room for urban renewal. ^[5]

The statue was vandalized multiple times. In 2017, a petition drive began, asking the city to restore the park's name and remove the statue. ^[6]

Removal

On July 10, 2020, the statue of Columbus was removed. ^[3] The same day, city officials also stated that Columbus Park would be renamed. ^[3]

See also

• List of monuments and memorials to Christopher Columbus
• List of monuments and memorials removed during the George Floyd protests

References

1. "What shall we do with our drunken sailor, inventor of Americas?". Rise Collaborative. July 14, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
2. "Protesters call for removal of Columbus statue in Buffalo". June 14, 2020.
3. McShea, Keith & Sommer, Mark (10 July 2020). Statue comes down in Christopher Columbus Park; name change will follow. Buffalo News. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
4. "Christopher Columbus, Buffalo, New York, Columbus Park, 1952". buffaloah.com. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
5. "Christopher Columbus, Buffalo, New York, Columbus Park, 1952". vanderkrogt.net. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
6. "Petition seeks Columbus statue removal — plus renaming of Buffalo park". The Buffalo News. August 25, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2019.