Columbus Square (Providence)

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Historic Postcard of Columbus Square at Elmwood and Reservoir Avenues, looking south

Columbus Square is a historic public square in the Historic Elmwood Neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island. It is located at the intersection of Elmwood Avenue and Reservoir Avenue. It serves as a gateway to Elmwood from the Reservoir and West End Neighborhoods.

Description[]

Mastro Electric Supply has been a Columbus Square fixture since 1946[1]

Columbus Square is the heart of the Elmwood Avenue business district that abuts the South Elmwood Historic District.[2] After June 2020, the location consists of a fenced triangle of land, half paved-over with brick, with about a dozen trees and a square granite slab where the Columbus statue once stood. It is also home to nearby charter school, Paul Cuffee Upper School[3] independent middle school Sophia Academy,[4] several car dealers, a drug store, a sandwich shop, and an electrical supply company.

History[]

The small triangular plot of land was originally owned by Joseph Cooke, who deeded to the Town of Cranston on May 24, 1824.[5] Cranston in turn deeded it to Providence in 1868.[5] It was renamed Columbus Park in 1893 in honor of a bronze statue of Columbus which was erected in on the small plot on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of Columbus's landing.[5]

Columbus Statue[]

Columbus square was notable for its bronze statue, Columbus,[6] designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and cast in bronze in 1893 by the historic Gorham Manufacturing Company, which was located nearby on Adelaide Avenue.[7] The statue, of Christopher Columbus, is a recasting of a statue prepared in sterling silver by the Gorham company for the Columbian World's Fair in Chicago, 1893.[8] The statue is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is sited in Columbus Square Park, a public park of the City of Providence Parks Department.[9]

Removal of Columbus Statue[]

Columbus Square after statue removal, June 28, 2020.

In June 2020, on the order of mayor Jorge Elorza, the Columbus statue was removed from Columbus Square.[10] The order was given as a response to statue removals across the United States in the wake of George Floyd protests.[10] During the removal, dozens of people from the neighborhood gathered to cheer.[10] The city has not disclosed where the statue would be stored, nor what would be its fate.[10]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Lighting Supplies in Providence, Rhode Island". Mastro Electric. Mastro Electric. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  2. ^ South Elmwood Historic District Map
  3. ^ Paul Cuffee Upper School
  4. ^ Sophia Academy
  5. ^ a b c "Columbus statue in Columbus Square". Rhode Island Department of State. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  6. ^ Public Memorials Columbus 1893
  7. ^ From Silver Spoons to Shell Casings - Gorham Manufacturing Company
  8. ^ Gorham MFG Co Sterling Silver for World's Columbian Fair, 1893
  9. ^ "List of Providence Public Parks" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-02-08. Retrieved 2017-02-16.
  10. ^ a b c d Amaral, Brian; List, Madeline (25 June 2020). "Providence removes statue of Christopher Columbus, its fate unclear". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 28 June 2020.

Coordinates: 41°49′04″N 71°24′23″W / 41.8179°N 71.4064°W / 41.8179; -71.4064

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