Fate of Schenley Park Columbus statue unknown as legal case continues

More than three years after the Pittsburgh Art Commission voted to remove it, a large statue of 15th-century Italian explorer and navigator Christopher Columbus still stands, partially shrouded in tattered plastic sheeting in a plaza at Schenley Park.

The fate of the hotly debated statue remains unknown pending the conclusion of a multiyear legal dispute, which could see an update this week. Oral arguments challenging whether the statue can legally be removed are scheduled Wednesday in Commonwealth Court.

The initial lawsuit was between the Italian Sons and Daughters of America, a group that promotes Italian-American heritage and sought to keep the statue, and the city of Pittsburgh and former Mayor Bill Peduto’s office, which sought to remove it over concerns raised about Columbus’ treatment of Native Americans.

Even after the court date, it could take several months to reach a decision. In the meantime, a spokesperson for Mayor Ed Gainey’s office said the situation with the statue remains “status quo.”

Installed in 1958

The 13-foot-tall bronze and granite Columbus monument has been present in Schenley Park since 1958 and was erected three years after City Council passed an ordinance allowing it to be displayed there.

The statue’s presence was called into question in 2020, amid a national discussion that reexamined memorials of historic figures connected to legacies of systemic racism.

After the Art Commission and Peduto recommended the statue’s removal, some members of the city’s Italian American community and the national Italian Sons and Daughters of America organization argued for keeping it.

The organization sued the city and sought an emergency injunction to stop the removal on Oct. 9, 2020. An Allegheny County judge threw out the complaint in 2022, arguing that the mayor did have the right to remove the statue because it sits on city-owned property. The Italian heritage group appealed on the grounds that only council could decide what to do with the statue, and the case has progressed in court.

Pittsburgh officials ordered that the Columbus statue be wrapped in plastic early in the morning of Oct. 11, 2020, to protect it from being defaced. Some of the wrapping remains.

Julia Maruca | Tribune-Review

Debates and a lawsuit have continued over the past three years over what to do with a statue of Christopher Columbus that stands in Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park..

Possible next moves

The Italian Sons and Daughters of America’s attorney in the case, George Bochetto, said he expected the court would consider the case carefully and make a “very thoughtful and deliberate decision.” He hopes to hear back within two to four months.

“I think that the idea that these statues are generating controversy, I think that’s passed, frankly,” Bochetto said. “I think that people have become more educated on the true story behind Columbus, and it’s not nearly the hot-button issue that it was made out to be several years ago.”

District 5 council member Barb Warwick has taken some interest in the situation, as constituents have asked her why the statue is still standing. She said she would like to talk to both sides of the issue to hear their perspectives and looks ahead to what can be done with the statue.

“Just having a statue of Christopher Columbus the way it is doesn’t do justice to the real history of colonialism and the treatment of Indigenous peoples in the country,” she said.

She noted that she has talked with representatives from the Council of Three Rivers American Indian Center, a local Native American advocacy organization, and wants to meet with representatives from the Italian Sons and Daughters of America and the community as a whole.

“I think you always have the most successful projects of this type when you are involving people and listening to each other and different viewpoints and trying to take that into account,” Warwick said. “Once this court case is resolved, it’s a little bit clearer what we can do in terms of the statue itself, (and) then to really have a thoughtful conversation about the next steps.”

Miguel Sague Jr., a board officer with the Council of Three Rivers American Indian Center, said he is remaining patient about the process. He has been involved with discussions about the statue’s presence since early on.

“I know that there is more time that we are going to have to deal with it,” he said, noting he was encouraged to have talked with Warwick and council about the statue. “I think that now, approaching this from this point of view is going to be more successful, and I have a lot more hope and optimism that this is going to take place and that this is going to succeed.”