Columbus Square (Providence)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/68/Columbus_Square_Color_Postcard.jpg/220px-Columbus_Square_Color_Postcard.jpg)
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[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/Mastro_Electric_Supply_Providence_RI.jpg/220px-Mastro_Electric_Supply_Providence_RI.jpg)
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[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Former_site_of_Bartholdi%27s_Columbus.jpg/220px-Former_site_of_Bartholdi%27s_Columbus.jpg)
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[]
- Neighborhoods in Providence
- Elmwood Neighborhood
References[]
- ^ "Lighting Supplies in Providence, Rhode Island". Mastro Electric. Mastro Electric. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
- ^ South Elmwood Historic District Map
- ^ Paul Cuffee Upper School
- ^ Sophia Academy
- ^ a b c "Columbus statue in Columbus Square". Rhode Island Department of State. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
- ^ Public Memorials Columbus 1893
- ^ From Silver Spoons to Shell Casings - Gorham Manufacturing Company
- ^ Gorham MFG Co Sterling Silver for World's Columbian Fair, 1893
- ^ "List of Providence Public Parks" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-02-08. Retrieved 2017-02-16.
- ^ 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.
- Squares in Providence, Rhode Island