N E W S R E L E A S E
February 7, 2025
Contact: Kathryn Willis 540-903-3186
Free Lecture on Richmond’s Columbus Statue Restoration
presented by the Fredericksburg-Este Association
Statue Before and After Reclamation and Restoration
The reclamation and restoration of Richmond’s Columbus statue, erected in 1926 in Byrd Park, is the subject of a free lecture by John Corritone, of the Italian-American Cultural Association of Virginia. The talk is scheduled for Friday, February 28, at 6:30 pm at St. George’s Church, 905 Princess Anne Street, George Street entrance. The Fredericksburg-Este Association, the Italian sister city group, sponsors the program. Light refreshments will be served at 6:30; the lecture begins at 7. The program is free; donations are welcome.
In May 2020, during the national wave of George Floyd riots, Richmond’s Christopher Columbus statue was defaced, graffitied, and ripped from its podium. Finally it was thrown into a small lake in Byrd Park, where it had stood since 1926. The statue was recovered from the lake and stored in a secure place.
In 2022, the sculpture was given to the Italian American Cultural Association of Virginia. John Corritone, a member, headed the effort to restore the work and find a place for Columbus to be given a permanent home. Corritone successfully headed up the fundraising effort for the project, which he also directed.
Corritone called on famed Richmond sculptor, Paul Dipasquale, creator of Richmond’s Arthur Ashe sculpture and King Neptune in Virginia Beach, who oversaw the project and repaired the statue.
Finally, in September 2024, the project was completed with the installation of Columbus at the Rockland County Order of the Sons of Italy Lodge in Blauvelt, New York, just north of the City.
Corritone will recount the process of the statue’s restoration. He will be joined by Paul Dipasquale, the sculptor, who will speak about the role that statues and monuments play in contemporary society.
The Fredericksburg-Este Association, founded in 2015, is a sister-city partner with Este, Italy, which is located about an hour west of Venice. The purpose of the Fredericksburg-Este Association is to nurture friendship and cultural understanding between the two cities through exchanges, programs and events. www.fred-este.org
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