New museum of cultural heritage and history to steward and display the Columbus statue for New Haveners to observe alongside its diverse collection of Elm City artifacts.

NEW HAVEN, CT — Today, Mayor Justin Elicker, New Haven Deputy Director of Arts, Culture and Tourism Kim Futrell, and Lost in New Haven Founder and Executive Director Robert Greenberg announced a new art loan agreement for the Christopher Columbus Memorial, which once stood in Wooster Square Park and that will now be on display at the new Lost in New Haven museum. Located at 80 Hamilton Street, Lost in New Haven is a few blocks away from where the Columbus Memorial once stood, and has one of the largest collections of New Haven artifacts, reflecting the city’s diverse cultural heritage and history.

The art loan agreement is made possible through the standards and conditions for loans of public art that govern the City of New Haven’s collection, which totals over 400 pieces. In this instance, the Columbus Memorial is on loan to Lost in New Haven which, in turn, is responsible to use professional museum standards and best practices of care, custody, and public display. The Columbus Memorial was moved to Lost in New Haven earlier today (photo attached).

“We have a beautiful new monument, Indicando la via al futuro, at Wooster Square Park that celebrates the Italian immigrant experience in New Haven. However, given the historical significance of the Columbus statue that previously stood there, it was important to find an appropriate place for it to go,” said Mayor Elicker. “We’re grateful to Robert Greenberg and Lost in New Haven for agreeing to steward this piece of New Haven’s history and story, and we appreciate that residents and visitors will be able to observe the Columbus statue in an appropriate place and setting.”

“It is a privilege to be entrusted with the stewardship of New Haven’s Chrisopher Columbus Memorial, an important artifact in the city’s history. At Lost in New Haven, residents and visitors will be able to observe this memorial alongside our amazingly diverse collection of other Elm City artifacts that tell the many stories of our city,” stated Robert Greenberg, founder of Lost in New Haven. “Lost in New Haven celebrates the immigrants who built this city, and we also recognize that our community is built on the unceded land of indigenous Quinnipiac peoples. We are committed to presenting this history in its entirety. We also believe in common ground, discourse, and community – and are committed to being a place where New Haven’s collective story can be told.”

Robert Bonanno, president of the Greater New Haven Italian American Heritage Committee, shared, “I grew up in Wooster Square, and the Columbus Memorial is an important part our community’s history.  I am very happy that the statue will be going to the Lost in New Haven museum and that it will be displayed so that people will be able to continue to see it in an appropriate setting.”

Additional Background

On June 24, 2020, the Christopher Columbus Memorial was removed from Wooster Square Park amid nationwide protests and a broad reckoning with racial injustice and systemic inequality in the United States. As part of this movement, communities across the country reexamined public monuments and the historical narratives they represent. In turn, the City of New Haven established the Wooster Square Monument Committee, charged with the goal of determining a new monument to honor the history, heritage, and contributions of the Italian American community in New Haven. 

This process resulted in the new Wooster Square monument, Indicando la via al futuro (Pointing the Way to the Future) by Artist Marc-Anthony Massaro. The new monument embodies the story of the Italian American immigrant experience and honors the dreams, aspirations, courage, hardships, values, and contributions of New Haven’s Italian immigrants who journeyed to the United States to seek a better life for themselves and their families.

The Christopher Columbus Memorial was originally dedicated in 1892 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Columbus’s arrival to North America and gifted from donations by Italian immigrants. The Columbus Memorial was originally installed during a time where there was demonstrable prejudice towards immigrants from southern Italy and elsewhere, and over time the sculpture served as a symbol of Italian American culture, history, and sense of belonging in New Haven. In the statue, Columbus holds a small globe in his left hand and held a compass in his right hand, which subsequently disappeared. At Lost in New Haven, the Christopher Columbus Memorial will remain on the same base, which previously rested on the memorial podium at Wooster Square Park. The statue podium itself remains at Wooster Square Park and serves as a background to Indicando la via al future.

Robert Greenberg is the founder and executive director of Lost in New Haven, a new museum of New Haven’s cultural history, located at 80 Hamilton Street. Mr. Greenberg returned to New Haven after 26 years in New York City to build on his ever-growing exhibit of historical New Haven artifacts. Lost in New Haven was a longstanding dream and goal, which began in a single room within his father’s Acme Furniture building and eventually moved to its current home at a restored paint warehouse on Hamilton Street. With tens of thousands of physical artifacts and creative immersion experiences, Lost in New Haven fosters wonder, respect, and appreciation for the diverse, multicultural tapestry and history that is New Haven.

Lost in New Haven is currently open by appointment and guided tours on the weekend and will add more time-toured hours later this year. Residents can learn more at lostinnewhaven.org or on its Facebook page at facebook.com/lostinnewhaven.

Press Contacts:

Lenny Speiller (City of New Haven) | (203) 725-4249 ; Lspeiller@newhavenct.gov

Lost in New Haven | (203) 507-2436 ; admin@lostinnewhaven.org