In Honor of Chrisopher Columbus - Denver, CO - Figurative Public Sculpture on Waymarking.com

The sculpture, created by William F. Joseph, was presented to the city by Alfred and Anna Adamo in 1970. His donation was in honor of Colorado as the first state to recognize Columbus Day as a holiday. The sculpture uses a similar metaphor to Da Vinci's Universal Man; this non-descript figure is pointing the four cardinal directions of the compass.

The plaque reads as follows:

In Honor of Christopher Columbus
(Cristoforo Colombo 1451-1506)

Italian Visionary and Great Navigator
This bold explorer was the first European
to set foot on uncharted land, on a West Indies
beach in 1492. His four voyages brought Europe
and the Americas together, forever changing
history. A new nation was to rise. A new
Democracy was born.

Alfred P. Adamo and Anne E. Adamo
June 24, 1970

Sculptor William F. Joseph

Over the years, the Columbus Day celebration has sparked protests by leaders of the American Indian Movement (AIM) and counter-protests by Italian-American associations throughout the country. Denver has evolved into having two parades for the Columbus Day Celebration; one group celebrates Columbus' discovery and the other group protests the havoc (or genocide as AIM calls it) imparted on the native Americans by the European immigrants. The sculpture was symbolically defaced with fake blood during more violent protests in 1989. In essence, the sculpture honoring Christopher Columbus was temporarily modified in what would now be called a 'conceptual performance piece'. AIM Activist Russell Means was found not guilty of defacement of the monument as his act was considered by the court a protest and protected under practicing free speech. The city did not appeal the decision and the sculpture was cleaned with no permanent damage. Visit this link for a list of worldwide tributes to Christopher Columbus.

A marble bench was donated by Alfred P. Adamo in 1975.

Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: commonly called the Columbus Monument Figure Type: Human Artist Name or use 'Unknown' if not known: William F. Joseph Date created or placed or use 'Unknown' if not known: June 24, 1970 Materials used: Bronze and stone Location: Denver's Civic Center Park area

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Date Logged Log User Rating   01/03/2020 gemeloj visited it 03/28/2013 2spacecadets visited it 06/20/2012 Vante & Sammy Pants visited it 06/05/2012 WayBetterFinder visited it 04/24/2011 Metro2 visited it 05/20/2010 Queens Blessing visited it 09/30/2009 Go Boilers! visited it 12/11/2008 Big B Bob visited it

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