Columbus towers over redesigned and renovated Columbus Circle plaza (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Columbus Circle Rotary
Intersection of Broadway, Eighth Ave., & 59th St.
http://www.nycgovparks.org

On October 12, 1892, in honor of the four hundredth anniversary of Christopher Columbus sailing into the New World, the newspaper Il Progresso Italo-Americano presented the city with a statue of the famed explorer. Designed by Sicilian sculptor Gaetano Russo and fabricated by Fonderia Nelli in Rome, the Columbus Monument was dedicated “in imperishable remembrance.” Columbus, carved out of Carrara marble, stands atop a seventy-seven-foot-high column, his left hand on his hip, his right hand grasping the rudder behind his back, with his toes dangling perilously over the base, as he looks out upon his supposed discovery.

The Bedford Column is adorned with bronze anchors, the ship prows of the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, and the explorer’s Italian name, Cristoforo Colombo. The east side of the column includes the following quotes: “To Christopher Columbus . . . The Italians, resident in America, / scoffed at before, / during the voyage, menaced, / after it, chained, / as generous as oppressed, / to the world he gave a world.” and “Joy and glory / never uttered a more thrilling call / than that which resounded / from the conquered ocean / in sight of the first American island / Land! Land!” Both quotes are translated in Italian on the opposite side.

Explorer watches over entrance to Columbus Citizens Foundation at 8 East 69th St. (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

COLUMBUS CELEBRATION

Multiple locations
Admission: free
http://www.columbuscitizensfd.org
There are a number of special events surrounding Columbus Day, sponsored by the Columbus Citizens Foundation. Interestingly, with all the debate the past few years over Christopher Columbus and his legacy, the foundation currently declares that it is “committed to fostering an appreciation of Italian-American heritage and achievement . . . through a broad range of philanthropic and cultural activities,” with no mention of the explorer at all.

Monday, October 12 Sixty-fifth annual Columbus Day Parade, Fifth Ave. from 44th to 79th Sts., featuring Grand Marshal Kenneth G. Langone, 11:30 am — 3:00 pm

Through Saturday, October 17 Exhibits in Vanderbilt Hall, including “Veneto: The Future Has an Antique Heart,” a Bridge between Venice and New YorkGrand Central Terminal, 7:00 am — 10:00 pm