The Christopher Columbus statue that once stood outside Columbus City Hall may now have a new home.
The proposed plan, revealed on Saturday, would have the statue be reinstated in a park that celebrates the city’s culture and heritage.
The statue was once one of three that stood in the city. The statues of Columbus that were in front of city hall and at Columbus State Community College were removed in 2020. The statue at the Ohio Statehouse is still standing.
The city received a $2 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to hear community feedback from residents of Columbus, and what the future of the statue would look like.
The design firm hired by the city, Designing Local, facilitated several community events to hear various opinions about the statue. Amanda Golden, co-founder and managing principal of the firm, said that opinions varied, from people who wanted to honor the Italian-Americans who helped erect the statue in 1955, to people who didn’t want the return of the statue.
Golden also said there were common themes that arose.
“The community's vision was to have a place where they felt safe and welcome, a place that they could reconnect with nature, a place for them to gather and celebrate their culture, and a place they could see themselves in the future,” Golden said. “The statue really isn't the central figure because that wasn't the community's vision.”
The proposed plan has the Columbus statue more off to the side in the park, and described as optional viewing in the design.
Golden said the design theme also used Indigenous design principles, like emphasizing cardinal directions, a design principle that appears in almost every Indigenous culture.
“Our team decided the best way to recontextualize the statue was amongst a broader conversation about who our city is, who it was before 1812 when we were incorporated as a city, who lived here before, what the river meant and its significance,” Golden said.
The proposed plan does not currently have a set location. There are a few proposed spots and the current design would have the park more central to the city and have access to the river.
Golden said the next steps for the park is to hear more feedback and gather support, and for Columbus City Council to finalize the plans.
The design team is still open to public feedback, which can be submitted on their website.