Pugh Seeks To Rededicate Columbus Monument To Someone Else

Baltimore's mayor is leading an effort to restore and rededicate the city's Christopher Columbus monument to someone else.

In August, someone took a sledgehammer to the monument, re-igniting a heated debate between those who want the Columbus statue gone and Italian-Americans who vow to defend the 225-year-old monument.

Mayor Catherine Pugh has directed Baltimore's Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation to lead a citywide effort to restore and rededicate the monument by late spring of next year.

The original marble tablet will be donated and a new one will be installed, and according to CHAP's executive director Eric Holcombe, it will likely note the first dedication of the monument to Columbus in 1792 and a re-dedication to an entity suggested by the obelisk's neighbors in District 3.

"It could be anything from African Americans who lived here to -- we've actually discovered seven prehistoric Native American sites in the park here," Holcombe said. "It is a piece of history, and is important for us to understand our history."

Though the plan appears set in motion, there's plenty of pushback on Columbus Day from the Italian-American Civic Club of Maryland.

"We cannot compromise on this issue. The monument does not belong to the people who live in the 3rd District of the city. Technically, it belongs to the city itself," said Marc A. De Simone Sr., chairman of the Board of Governors of the Italian-American Civic Club of Maryland.

The monument does belong to the city, along with two other Columbus statues, one in Druid Hill Park and another in Harbor East that was watched over vigilantly by police Monday.

"We would hate to see history destroyed. We will not stand for that," De Simone said.

Despite there being video of the vandalism in August, Baltimore City police told 11 News that there have been no arrests in the case.