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Pueblo
Colorado

E Abriendo Avenue

Bust of Christopher Columbus

Pietro Piai
1905

Description

Bust on a pedestal, with on the pedestal a bronze coat of arms of Genoa. On the sides of the pedestal are globes.

Inscription(s)

A
CRISTOFO COLOMBO
IL XII OTTOBRE MCMV
AUGURANDO CHE PRIMO TRA I GLORIOSI
RICORDI IL MONDE IL GIORNO MEMORANDO.

Coat of arms, and lower, later an inscription was added: IN MEMORY OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
WITH THE HOPE THAT THE GLORIOUS
DATE OF OCTOBER 12, 1492
MAY BE REMEMBERED IN THE WORLD

GL'ITALIANI D'AMERICA
ERESSERO
AUSPICE
LA FEDERAZIONE COLOMBIANA
DELLE SOCIETA ITALIANE NEGLI S.U.
INIZIATRICE
LA LOGGIA FEDERATA C. COLOMBO
PUEBLO COLO.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
[their names]

Lower, later an inscription was added:

UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE COLUMBIAN FEDERATION
THIS MONUMENT WAS ERECTED ON OCTOBER 12, 1905
BY THE ITALIANS OF PUEBLO

Signature

the pedestal: Pietro Piai, and the bust: Pietro Piai / scultore / New York 1904

Annotation

Presented to the city by the Christopher Columbus Lodge and the Columbian Federation of Italian Societies in the United States.
Pueblo is believed the first US city to declare Columbus Day a holiday.

Noreen Riffe has sent me also copies of newspaper articles in The Pueblo Chieftain of October 12 and 13, 1905; from "SJ" June 30, 1939 (titled: America's First Statue to Columbus Was Erected Here; Contest Creating Interest. This is of course not true, as seen in my chronological list) and articles from August 20, 1978, and October 4, 1988. Later, when I have more time, I hope to extract more information and present it here.

This monument on postcards

Click here for the postcard(s) and enlargement(s)

Sculptor

Pietro Piai (1857-), sculptor in New York.

Sources & Information

Information and b/w photos sent to me by Noreen Riffe, Special Collections Librarian, of the Pueblo City-County Library District.
NIAF, Tributes to Christopher Columbus in the United States.
Smithsonian American Art Museum, SIRIS (Smithsonian Institution Research Information system).

Locatie (N 38°15'33" - W 104°37'14") (Satellite view: Google Maps)

Item Code: usco02; Added: 29 February 2004 / Photograph: 16 October 2010

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