EDITORIAL: Let’s Not Move the Columbus Statue to Federal Hill — He Won’t Be Safe

Monday, October 21, 2019

EDITORIAL

For the Christopher Columbus statue located on Elmwood Avenue in Providence for more than 120 years, there have been few dangers. Recently, protesters have poured paint on Columbus a few times, but otherwise, it has been a peaceful posture.

Now, some are proposing moving the statue to Federal Hill, a de facto segregation of the statue under the belief that it will be “safer” among its own.

The Federal Hill Commerce Association announced last week, “Should the need arise for the Christopher Columbus statue to be moved from its current location we would welcome it to Federal Hill. With the neighborhoods rich history of Italian culture and the recent move of the Giovanni da Verrazzano monument to St. Johns park, the Association feels a suitable location could be made available.”

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The reality? Federal Hill is no longer an Italian-American dominated neighborhood -- it is far more diversified. 

However, if Columbus were to be moved to Federal Hill, would it be shielded from harm? The dangers are more frequent and far more perilous -- neither public art nor human life has been safe over the past few years on the Hill.

First, the public fountain has been left repeatedly broken and bruised. In 2018, restaurant owner Gianfranco Marrocco, who owns the Hotel Dolce Vita and Blend as well as other establishments on the Hill, took photos ahead of the annual Federal Hill Stroll, when the fountain was in disrepair. 

"The City of Providence couldn't fix the fountain so they put flowers in it to make it look like a funeral," wrote Marrocco. 

The fountain itself was left non-functioning for a year due to damage.

Then, a car crashed into the fountain and left the icon of DePasquale Square damaged again.

Those incidents are minor compared to the near-endless news of theft, violence and death on Federal Hill over the past few months alone.

The sculpture of Columbus was created by Auguste Bartholdi —the Frenchman who sculpted the Statue of Liberty. It was cast by the Gorham Manufacturing Company, who had commissioned the master sculptor.

The Providence-based bronze cast statue is a cast of the original sterling silver statue commissioned for the 1892 Columbian Exposition of the World's Fair held in Chicago, Illinois. “For the upcoming exposition, Gorham wanted a demonstration piece to show the skill of its foundry and commissioned Bartholdi to create a statue of Columbus,” states the Rhode Island Secretary of State’s Office.

Since 1893, the statute has been a fixture on Elmwood Avenue, all while the neighborhood has transformed over and over.

Old photos show it was once surrounded by homes. Today, it is mostly commercial. But it has remained safe.

On Federal Hill, there are murders — violent murders inside and outside of clubs and lounges. There are always a flurry of corresponding excuses.

"The perpetrators were from out of town."

"It happened outside the club so no one is responsible."

The reality is that the crimes were committed by locals and there simply is not enough security and police presence. 

Federal Hill is unsafe. There. Someone said it. It is not safe for tourists, locals looking for dinner or even business owners.

Let’s focus on making Federal Hill safe. Moving Columbus to Federal Hill might be just what the vandals want — putting the statue in an environment of danger and violence.

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