Columbus Obelisk

The Columbus Obelisk is one of three monuments to Christopher Columbus in Baltimore, Maryland. Erected in 1792, the obelisk is known to be the oldest monument to Christopher Columbus in the United States.[1] In 2020, Councilman Ryan Dorsey introduce legislation to rename and rededicate the monument as The Police Violence Victims Monument.[2]

Columbus Obelisk
The Police Violence Victims Monument (proposed)
Monument in 2016
ArtistUnknown
Year1792 (1792)
MediumBrick and white stucco
Dimensions (44 ft. 6 3/4 in. in)
LocationBaltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Coordinates39.336349°N 76.574523°W / 39.336349; -76.574523
OwnerCity of Baltimore

History

The Columbus Obelisk was donated by the French Consul to the City of Baltimore, Charles Francois Adrian de Paulmier, Chevalier d'Anmour, in 1792 to commemorate the tricentennial anniversary of Columbus's discovery of America.[3] The monument was originally located on the estate of d'Anmour on North Avenue and Harford Road until October 12, 1964, when it was rededicated and relocated to its present location in Herring Run Park at Harford Road, Walther Avenue, and Parkside Drive.

Vandalism

In August 2017, the monument was vandalized by a group of individuals inspired by other Confederate monument removals, who posted a video of themselves doing it on YouTube. In the video, one individual sledgehammers the base of the structure, while another individual holds a sign reading "Racism. Tear it Down".[4] In October 2017, Mayor Catherine Pugh authorized the city's Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation to restore and relocate the monument, and expressed interest in the possibility of rededicating the monument to someone else other than Columbus, due to the controversy surrounding the structure.[5]

In June 2020, the group known as the Baltimore BLOC threatened to destroy the monument by offering Mayor Young a dilemma of either removing all Columbus memorials or face vandalism as a consequence.[6]

See also

References
  1. https://chap.baltimorecity.gov/monuments-and-conservation
  2. https://baltimorefishbowl.com/stories/dorsey-introduces-bill-to-rename-columbus-obelisk-to-honor-victims-of-police-brutality/
  3. http://www.vanderkrogt.net/statues/object.php?webpage=co&record=usmd03
  4. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-columbus-monument-20170821-story.html
  5. http://www.wbaltv.com/article/mayor-seeks-to-rededicate-columbus-monument-to-someone-else/12809023
  6. https://www.baltimorebrew.com/2020/06/22/activists-warn-mayor-young-they-plan-to-take-down-baltimores-columbus-monuments/?fbclid=IwAR0PTVKDEeWOw_V-sEraFYthVAsLlnQN9Q5GjPbW_a0PQl5izXGW0juaJA0


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