Uptown District in Columbus in Franklin County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Columbus Monument
Photographed by J. J. Prats, July 12, 2008
1. Columbus Monument Statue and Fountain
1492. The spirit of discovery has the power to change the course of human history as demonstrated by the voyages of Christopher Columbus, whose imagination shattered the boundaries of the Western world. Modern history has been shaped by one mans courage to pursue a dream.
1892. A dream shared by later generations who explored a vast continent where freedom and opportunity beckoned to those with the courage and imagination to venture westward.
1932. Westward into Ohio came the successors to the spirit of Columbus, naming the capitol city of the new state after the man who symbolized the spirit of the frontier...
1992. Frontiers explored by later generations of Ohioans extend beyond land and water to a new world whose potential remains to be unlocked by the spirit of discovery.
Donated by the Josephinum to the State of Ohio. This statue was relocated to Capitol Square. The fountain honors Ohios sister state bond with Liguria, Italy, the navigators home. The Pontifical College Josephinum commissioned this statue from the W. H. Mullins studio.
Erected 1932 by the Pontifical College Josephinum, who relocated it
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Topics. This historical marker and monument is listed in this topic list: Exploration. A significant historical year for this entry is 1492.
Location. 39° 57.642′ N, 82° 59.97′ W. Marker is in Columbus, Ohio, in Franklin County. It is in the Uptown District. It is at the intersection of High Street and State Street, on the right when traveling north on High Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Columbus OH 43215, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker and monument is in Ohio’s Scioto Valley. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 12 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Oak (a few steps from this marker); The Ohio Holocaust and Liberators Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); The Spirit of 98 (within shouting distance of this marker); The State House (within shouting distance of this marker); Columbus City Hall (within shouting distance of this marker); Ohio Statehouse Centennial (within shouting distance of this marker); The Ohio Theatre (within shouting distance of this marker); United Mine Workers of America (within shouting distance of this marker); Ohio State House (within shouting distance of this marker); William McKinley
Photographed by J. J. Prats, July 12, 2008
2. West Face Inscriptions
The monument faces west. Inscriptions are just under the statues granite base, and on the base of the fountain, and all four sides.
Also see . . . Columbus Statue in Sheet Metal. Copy of the November 1892 issue of “The Manufacturer and Builder,” which contains an article on this monument (transcribed below). (Submitted on August 3, 2008, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.)
Additional commentary.
1. Columbus Statue in Sheet Metal
Short article in the November 1892 issue of “The Manufacturer and Builder,” accompanied by an illustration.
We have taken the occasion several times within the past year or two to present to our readers specimen illustrations of the artistic statuary work in sheet metal designed and executed at the architectural sheet-metal works of W. H. Mullins, of Salem, Ohio. The facilities of this noted establishment for work of this character have of late been greatly extended, and those who are familiar with the quality of the work turned out from it, will be fully prepared to admit that, in skillful hands, sheet metal is admirably adapted for the production of works of the most ambitious character and to the faithful rendition of the most charming artistic
Photographed by J. J. Prats, July 12, 2008
3. Columbus Monument Statue
Christopher Columbus, by Alphons Pelzer. Sheet-copper statue is approx. 10 feet high.
The latest original work in sheet-copper statuary made in this establishment is a heroic statue of Columbus, designed and executed for the city of Columbus, Ohio, where it surmounts a monument executed in commemoration of the great navigator in whose honor the city is named. We present, in connection with this description, a half-tone engraving of the statue, from which our readers may fairly judge of its appearance and artistic merit. Since its completion, two copies have been ordered and delivered, one to Phillipsburg, N. J., and the other to New Haven, Conn. The three statues referred to are executed in heavy sheet copper, and, so far as appearance and durability are concerned, are equal to similar work in the much more costly cast bronze.
— Submitted August 3, 2008.
Photographed by J. J. Prats, July 12, 2008
4. Christopher Columbus
Photographed by Craig Doda, June 24, 2022
5. Columbus Monument
Photographed by Craig Doda, June 24, 2022
6. Columbus Monument
Photographed by Craig Doda, June 24, 2022
7. Columbus Monument
Credits. This page was last revised on February 3, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 2, 2008, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 2,502 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 2, 2008, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 5, 6, 7. submitted on July 3, 2022, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio.
