A group of Italian-American organizations have sued the city of Columbus, Mayor Andrew Ginther and federal agencies over the 2020 removal of the Christopher Columbus statue from City Hall.
The groups' lawsuit, filed Tuesday in federal court in Columbus, said the removal was illegal and discriminatory. They want the court to order that the statue be returned to its original location on the Broad Street side of City Hall.
When the 22-foot-tall bronze statue was removed in 2020, Ginther said it represented patriarchy, oppression and divisiveness.
The lawsuit said the absence of the statue has caused distress in central Ohio's Italian-American community.
The city of Columbus received the statue from the city of Genoa, Italy in 1955.
The suit said statue is "an essential element of the Sister Cities Agreement between these two cities – it depicts a famous Genovese man, who is also the namesake of the City of Columbus – and this majestic piece of artwork unifies these two great cities."
The suit said the statue was given to the city under the condition that it be displayed outside City Hall forever.
The statue was placed in storage after it was removed. Last year, a design firm hired by the city recommended that the statue be placed in a park reflecting the city's culture and heritage.
The Columbus City Attorney's Office said it is reviewing the lawsuit and had no comment.
Plaintiffs include the Columbus Piave Club, the Friends of Christopher Columbus Foundation, the
Conference of Presidents Of Major Italian American Organizations, the Abruzzi Club, the Order Of The Sons & Daughters Of Italy, the Columbus Italian Heritage Foundation and the Columbus Italian Club.
Defendants include members of the Columbus Art Commission and the U.S. Departments of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Commerce, Education, Homeland Security and Agriculture.
The suit said Columbus City Hall sits in the Columbus Civic Center district, which was determined to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
The suit said federal funds flow to the city despite what it said was the federal defendants' "complete failure" to abide by their obligations under the National Historic Preservation Act.
