The New London, Connecticut statue of Christopher Columbus was a marble statue installed in the city from 1928 to 2020. In June, 2020 the New London City council voted to remove the statue from public land.
| Statue of Christopher Columbus | |
|---|---|
| Subject | Christopher Columbus |
| Location | New London, Connecticut, U.S. |
| 41°21′02″N 72°06′04″W / 41.35046°N 72.100998°W | |
History
editThe statue, given to the city as a gift by Italian-Americans, was unveiled on Columbus Day, October 12, 1928.[1][2] Its installation was delayed when the ship it had traveled on from Italy was seized for transporting a cargo of heroin.[3][4] The nine foot, six inch statue was sculpted in marble by the Italian artist Armand Battelli, at a cost of $7000.[1][3][5]
In 2017 a group of local citizens sought to legally and physically protect the statue from removal.[5] In June 2020 more than 6000 people signed a petition to remove the statue, and the memorial became the subject of extensive news coverage.[6] Following a successful city council vote on its proposed removal, the statue was banned from being sited on public land.[7] New London's mayor Michael Passero said that the statue had become "a lightning rod for civil discontent".[8] The statue was removed June 16, 2020 at the order of the city council.[9][10][11]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b New London. 2015. ISBN 9781467123754.
- ^ Edgecomb, Kathleen. "In the Beginning". The Day – via www.pressreader.com.
- ^ a b Ruddy, John J. (June 29, 2000). Reinventing New London. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738504803 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Symbol of pride exits in shame". The Day.
- ^ a b "Group seeks protection of New London's Columbus statue". The Day.
- ^ "Community Members Petition to Take Down New London's Christopher Columbus Statue; Recently Vandalized With Paint".
- ^ "New London Decides to Ban Columbus Statue From Public Land".
- ^ "New London council votes to permanently remove Christopher Columbus statue". WFSB.
- ^ "New London Mayor Decides to Remove Christopher Columbus Statue; Hopes to Have Public Weigh In".
- ^ "Columbus Statue Removed From Connecticut Park". usnews.com. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
- ^ Murdock, Zach. "New London votes to permanently remove Christopher Columbus statue after young activists speak out". courant.com.