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Statue of Christopher Columbus (San Francisco)

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Coordinates: 37°48′10″N 122°24′22″W / 37.80278°N 122.40611°W / 37.80278; -122.40611
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Statue of Christopher Columbus
The statue in 2015
Map
ArtistCount Vittorio di Colbertaldo
Year1957
MediumBronze
SubjectChristopher Columbus
Dimensions370 cm (12 ft)
Weight2 ton
LocationTelegraph Hill, San Francisco, California, U.S.
Coordinates37°48′10″N 122°24′22″W / 37.80278°N 122.40611°W / 37.80278; -122.40611
OwnerSan Francisco

A statue of Christopher Columbus was installed in Pioneer Park, San Francisco, California.

History

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The statue was placed in the park in 1957, donated by the city's Italian-American community. The statue itself was sculpted by Count Vittorio di Colbertaldo (1902-1979) of Verona,[1] one of Benito Mussolini's hand picked ceremonial bodyguards known as the "Black Musketeers."[2][3] Colbertaldo doubled as the Musketeers's sculptor, producing statues which commemorated the organization.[3] The statue in Pioneer Park was cast in Verona and then shipped to San Francisco.[4] A second Columbus statue done by Colbertaldo is in Miami's Bayfront Park.[5]

Vandalism and removal

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In 2019, the statue was doused in red paint as an act of protest. The restoration cost about $70,000.[6]

On June 18, 2020, the San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) removed the statue following the removal of other controversial statues during the George Floyd protests.[7] Rachelle Axel of the SFAC has said that the statue was removed as it "doesn't align with San Francisco's values or our commitment to racial justice" and in light of recent threats on social media to throw the statue off Pier 31 and into the San Francisco Bay.[6] Further, it was put forward that Columbus is not an appropriate historic symbol to the area or to the United States of America because he never set foot on the respective soils.[8][9] After its removal the statue was put in storage for preservation and possible relocation.[10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Vittorio Di Colbertaldo". Archived from the original on 2022-03-10. Retrieved 2022-06-22.
  2. ^ "Santa Cruz Sentinel 26 August 1957 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. Archived from the original on 2020-06-11. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
  3. ^ a b "Calexico Chronicle, Volume XXXIV, Number 181, 21 March 1938". cdnc.ucr.edu. Archived from the original on 2020-06-11. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
  4. ^ "Santa Cruz Sentinel, Volume 101, Number 201, 26 August 1957". Archived from the original on 11 June 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  5. ^ "Columbus Monuments Page". Archived from the original on 2020-06-11. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
  6. ^ a b Fracassa, Dominic (2020-06-18). "San Francisco removes Christopher Columbus statue at Coit Tower ahead of planned protest". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2020-06-20. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  7. ^ KGO (2020-06-18). "Christopher Columbus statue removed at Coit Tower in San Francisco". ABC7 San Francisco. Archived from the original on 2020-06-19. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  8. ^ "Why does San Francisco have a statue of Christopher Columbus?". 9 October 2017. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
  9. ^ Strauss, Valerie (2013-10-14). "Christopher Columbus: 3 Things You Think He Did that He Didn't." Archived 2021-11-25 at the Wayback Machine The Washington Post. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  10. ^ "S.F. Quietly Puts Statue of Genocidal Explorer into Hiding". 23 June 2020. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
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