Christopher Columbus Monument

The Christopher Columbus Monument creates quite an impression in Schenley Park.

Here’s another post featuring the statues and monuments of Schenley Park that I captured in photos during a recent walk through the park.

During the first celebration of Columbus Day in Pittsburgh in 1909, plans were made to create a monument to honor the great explorer.

Left: A tighter view of the Christopher Columbus Monument.

Those plans wouldn't come to fruition until 1958, when a colossal statue created by Italian-born sculptor Frank Vittor was dedicated with ceremonies that included a 21-gun salute. Vittor's brother, Anthony, carved the detail on the granite base that complements the statue.

The huge monument with a fountain in the base stands on Schenley Drive near Phipps Conservatory. In the early planning stages, the Sons of Italy had wanted to erect it at the entrance of Schenley Park on Forbes Avenue. That site was shot down because the powers that be didn't want it to block the view of the planned Mary Schenley Memorial and they didn't want such a large statue to dominate the park's entrance.

Right: This historical marker celebrating the work of Frank Vittor stands in front of the Columbus statue.

The monument, which underwent a $150,000 restoration in 1992 for the 500th anniversary of Columbus' first voyage, has been a target for vandals who decry the effects of the explorer's discovery of the New World on the indigenous people.