Columbus Square is a historic

public square A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Relat ...

in the Historic Elmwood Neighborhood of

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

. Located at the intersection of Elmwood Avenue and Reservoir Avenue, it serves as a gateway to Elmwood from the

Reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

and West End Neighborhoods.

Description

Columbus Square is the heart of the Elmwood Avenue business district that abuts the South Elmwood Historic District. 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 A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

, Paul Cuffee Upper School independent middle school Sophia Academy, 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. Cranston in turn deeded it to Providence in 1868. 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.

Columbus Statue

Columbus square was notable for its bronze statue, ''

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio * Columbus, Georgia, a city i ...

'', designed by French sculptor

Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi ( , ; 2 August 1834 – 4 October 1904) was a French sculptor and painter. He is best known for designing ''Liberty Enlightening the World'', commonly known as the Statue of Liberty. Early life and education Barthol ...

and cast in bronze in 1893 by the historic

Gorham Manufacturing Company The Gorham Manufacturing Company was one of the largest American manufacturers of sterling and silverplate and a foundry for bronze sculpture. History Gorham Silver was founded in 1831 in Providence, Rhode Island by Jabez Gorham, a master cr ...

, which was located nearby on Adelaide Avenue. The statue, of

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...

, is a recasting of a statue prepared in sterling silver by the Gorham company for the Columbian World's Fair in Chicago, 1893. The statue is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

and is sited in Columbus Square Park, a public park of the City of Providence Parks Department. In June 2020, on the order of mayor

Jorge Elorza Jorge O. Elorza (born November 24, 1976) is an American law professor who served as the mayor of Providence, Rhode Island from 2015 until 2023. He defeated former mayor Buddy Cianci in the 2014 mayoral election and on January 5, 2015, was sworn ...

, the ''Columbus '' statue was removed from Columbus Square as the city had been dispatching police officers to watch the statue due to vandalism. The order was given during a time of statue removals across the United States in the wake of George Floyd protests. During the removal, dozens of people from the neighborhood gathered to cheer. The statue was purchased by a former Providence mayor Joseph R. Paolino Jr. and gifted to Johnston, Rhode Island where it is displayed at a park.

Providence Commemoration Lab

In 2024 Columbus Square was determined as one of three sites in Providence to be addressed by the Providence Commemoration Lab, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Mellon Foundation and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, American Rescue Plan, commissioning temporary artistic projects to launch in 2025.The Lab invites unexpected ways of understanding commemoration as a communal process of historical redress.

References

{{coord, 41.8179, -71.4064, type:adm3rd_globe:earth_region:US-RI, display=title Squares in Providence, Rhode Island

Description

History

Columbus Statue

Providence Commemoration Lab

See also

References