Exiled Columbus UPDATE
The Baltimore Statue Has a New Home, But Pedestal Replacement Stalls
Almost three years ago, I wrote:
“Christopher Columbus is looking for a place to land and, just like in 1492, he doesn’t know where he’s going.”
The Columbus in questions wasn’t the Italian explorer but rather a replica of a statue unceremoniously dumped into Baltimore Harbor during protests sparked by George Floyd’s 2020 murder.
The statue was ruined, but bits and pieces were retrieved and incorporated into the replica. Fearing that the reconstituted Columbus would again be toppled, the copy never made it back onto its pedestal in Baltimore’s Little Italy neighborhood. Instead, it was stored, waiting for a home.
Finally, in the wee hours of a mid-March morning, a construction crane plopped Chris into the plaza outside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, next to the White House.
How did he get there? According to local news reports, the replica was loaned to the White House by the Conference of Presidents of Major Italian American Organizations. Accepting the replica, President Donald J. Trump thanked the organization, saying he was “truly honored that this magnificent statue will now sit on the grounds of the White House” after being “torn down by anti-American rioters and thrown into the harbor on July 4, 2020.”
John Pica, a Maryland lobbyist and president of the Italian American Organizations United, which owns the status, said his group is “delighted the statue has found a place where it can peacefully shine and be protected.”
A White House spokesman said, “In this White House, Christopher Columbus is a hero, and President Trump will ensure he’s honored as such for generations to come.”
In its new home, the sculpture is very well protected from potential vandalism. In fact, simply getting a good look at the statue has become increasingly difficult for average Americans, as fencing and other barriers around the White House complex have been extended from the Northern tip of Lafayette Square to Constitution Ave. and from 15th to 17th street.
Fencing, like this around Lafayette Square, across Pennsylvania Ave. from the White House, now restricts average citizens’ access to the White House complex.
Put on a pedestal?
Meanwhile, back in Baltimore, new controversy has arisen around the pedestal on which the Columbus statue once stood.
In May, political pranksters placed a toilet atop the pedestal, sparking outrage among the Italian-American community. Maryland State Delegate Nino Mangione told WMAR-TV News he was, “appalled by this disrespectful action of some lawless thug again desecrating the Columbus statue.” Mangione charged Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott—who is African-American—with tolerating “inexcusable” behavior and turning a “blind eye to this blatant racism.”
In a Facebook post, titled “Potty Protest,” local activist Duane Davis, aka “Shorty” claimed responsibility for the toilet’s prominent placement. He said the toilet aimed to unmask institutional racism. “This toilet represents how you treat us,” Shorty said. “You treat us like shit.”
Baltimore activist “Shorty” and his Potty Protest
The porcelain protests didn’t last long, as Baltimore city workers soon arrived and “dethroned” Shorty’s symbol.
Baltimore city workers and the dethroned “protest potty.”
Not to be outdone by shiny white porcelain—six years to the day after Columbus was tossed into the drink—a Baltimore performance artist hopped up on the perch in his birthday suit, nakedly ignoring indecent exposure laws.
Local authorities initially said 31-year-old F. Hambleton Sonnenfeld was thought to be suffering from a mental health issue, but in a subsequent interview, Sonnenfeld said his July 4 display was his chance to honor Italian culture in a setting where its symbols have been controversial while also examining “what freedom is now,” the Baltimore Sun reported.
According to the Sun, Sonnenfeld thought the way his performance ended—with him restrained on the ground naked and surrounded by police officers—was “the perfect representation of how complex this concept really is.”
Sonnenfeld was charged with indecent exposure, assault, and resisting arrest.
Photo Courtesy: Zelda Zen/Beth Hawks via Baltimore Sun
Replacement Memorial Hits a Snag
As if cursed by centuries-old misdeeds, the erstwhile Columbus pedestal has now run into trouble with Baltimore bureaucrats who oversee public art installations.
Pica’s group, Italian American Organizations United, has commissioned a sculptor to create a new monument honoring Italian immigrant families.
The seven-foot-tall sculpture, called the Anonymous Italian Immigrant Family Memorial, is supposed to sit atop the vacant pedestal, but the plan hit a snag earlier this week when Baltimore’s Public Art Commission raised questions about who would own the memorial and how it would be maintained.
Both private and public funds have been secured to pay for the new sculpture, but the pedestal sits on public land, so the Art Commission wants to know if the memorial will be “gifted” to the city or if the private entity that commissioned the work will retain ownership.
According to Ed Gunts of the Baltimore Fishbowl on-line news source, if the memorial is “gifted” to the city, regulations require that the donor provide proof of funding to cover the cost of maintaining the art work for 10 years.
If the private group wants to retain ownership “a memorandum of understanding may be required between the city and the private group to spell out the terms by which it is being placed on public land and for how long,” the Baltimore Fishbowl article said.
Pica told the arts panel he’d be happy to meet to discuss the ownership and maintenance details, but added that the Italian-American community in Little Italy “was planning on making sure the property is maintained anyway” so if a formal commitment to do so is necessary, the group will comply.
The art commission next meets in September. Pica hopes to have the new memorial sculpted and in place by the end of 2027.
A rendering of the new statue honoring Italian-American Immigrant Families
Source: Baltimore Fishbowl
Sources:
https://foxbaltimore.com/news/nation-world/white-house-installs-christopher-columbus-statue-eisenhower-executive-office-renewing-debate-over-legacy-baltimore-harbor-george-floyd-protests
https://nypost.com/2026/05/17/us-news/vandals-mount-toilet-to-toppled-christopher-columbus-statue-as-activist-fumes-over-lack-of-investigation-blatant-racism/
https://www.wmar2news.com/news/region/baltimore-city/toilet-found-on-top-of-columbus-statue-remains-in-baltimores-little-italy
https://www.facebook.com/baltimoresun/videos/shorty-explains-toilet-protest-in-little-italy/4416199468707699/
https://www.baltimoresun.com/2026/07/06/baltimore-little-italy-nude-artist-speaks/
https://baltimorefishbowl.com/stories/plans-for-a-memorial-to-replace-the-columbus-statue-in-little-italy-hit-a-snag/
https://baltimorefishbowl.com/stories/italian-americans-raise-more-than-200k-for-memorial-to-replace-columbus-statue-was-dumped-into-baltimore-harbor-in-2020/
https://davea.substack.com/publish/posts/detail/123080663?referrer=%2Fpublish%2Fposts%2Fpublished