Statue of Christopher Columbus, Bronze monument near Telegraph Hill, San Francisco, United States
The Statue of Christopher Columbus was a dark bronze figure on a light grey stone pedestal in Pioneer Park. The man wore a knee-length tunic, belt, cape and tall boots, his left hand near his waist. The pedestal's front face carried a relief of a three-masted sailing ship above a cross, with the carved word "DISCOVERY" on the low curved wall below.
The monument was created in 1957 by Italian sculptor Vittorio di Colbertaldo as a gift from the Italian-American community and the city of Genoa. It marked the appreciation of Italian contributions to San Francisco.
The statue was doused in red paint in 2019, and its restoration cost about $70,000. When the Arts Commission removed it on June 18, 2020, officials cited social media threats to throw it off Pier 31 into San Francisco Bay. It was placed in storage for possible relocation.
The statue is located in an easily accessible spot near Telegraph Hill and can be visited at any time. The granite base provides good views of the surrounding area, especially in clear weather.
The sculptor created an identical Columbus monument for Miami's Bayfront Park, making this one part of a larger artistic series. This shows how reverence for this figure was anchored across different American cities.
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