(The Center Square) — Outgoing New York Mayor Eric Adams is moving to protect a pair of Christopher Columbus statues amid threats from mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani, who has called for them to be toppled.
Adams, who steps down at the end of the year after choosing not to run for reelection, told the New York Post that his administration plans to seek a historic designation for the Italian explorer’s monuments at Columbus Circle and Astoria’s Columbus Square to prevent them from being removed.
“The beauty of New York City is that we celebrate and respect all our diverse communities and cultural heritage,” Adams told the newspaper Tuesday. “As mayor of the city with one of the largest Italian populations in the world, I am proud that we celebrate Italian-American heritage, today and every day.”
First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro, who described himself as a “proud Italian-American” said the city’s request for historical status will be presented to the Landmark Preservation Commission for action before Adams leaves office. He said the statues are a testimony to the numerous contributions of Italian Americans in America’s largest city.
“There’s a historical legacy with the statues that is undeniable,” Mastro said. “They are important statues to Italian heritage.”
Mamdani hasn’t vowed on the campaign trail to bring down the statues, but in 2020 he posted a photo of himself giving a Columbus statue in Astoria the middle finger. He posted a caption above the photo: “Take it down.”
The Columbus Statue in Columbus Circle, built in 1896, was designated federal and state historic landmark status in 2018, following support from then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who lost the Democratic mayoral primary to Mamdani and is now running as an independent in the general election. But the Columbus statue in Astoria Square, unveiled in 1941, doesn’t have landmark protection, the Post reported.
Critics have condemned the 15th-century Italian explorer as a white supremacist who touched off centuries of European oppression and the subjugation of Indigenous peoples. Columbus supporters, meanwhile, say the statues are an important symbol of Italian-American heritage.
The debate over removing the statues from public parks and buildings U.S. cities and towns is reminiscent of the “culture wars” wrangling over taking down Southern Civil War generals over their support for slavery.
The Adams administration told the Post it will also create a $750,000 fund to “promote cultural and artistic endeavors in the Indigenous community. The city observes both Columbus Day and Indigenous People’s Day on Oct. 13.
“We’re not going to show the same callous disregard for any community,” Mastro told the newspaper. “We celebrate the great diversity of our city.”
