Revisiting the Christopher Columbus Memorial Fountain
The Christopher Columbus memorial fountain at Columbus Circle in front of Union Station is, like so many of the monuments in D.C., under appreciated. When we asked a man leaning against the marble what he thought about it, if he liked it, all he did was shrug his shoulders and say, “Eh.”
Compare that to the day it was unveiled.
It was June 8, 1912, a day the New York Times called “second only to the inauguration of a President” because of the parade that included 15,000 troops, 2,000 motor cars, 50,000 Knights of Columbus, around 150,000 spectators, a 21 gun salute, and elaborate horse-drawn floats depicting noteworthy incidents in Columbus’ life.
But since that day, it seems, the Columbus fountain has receded into the background as, sadly, just another monument.
At the unveiling ceremony, President Taft said, “It is most difficult for us by any effort of the imagination to take in the problem which Columbus solved.” Yet today Columbus is hardly thought of as a national hero to anyone beyond the third grade. Is the Columbus fountain’s fall from grace related to our knowledge that the explorer was not the first to actually "discover" our continent? Maybe the Columbus statue has simply been gradually overlooked as D.C. has continued to add more and more monuments.
Photo by dcmemorials.com
Do you think D.C. is oversaturated with monuments? You can be sure that we at the revisiting series don’t think so, but the man leaning against the fountain, a New Yorker, seemed to hint at it with his shoulder shrugs.
“There’s so many statues and stuff,” he said. “I take it for granted.”
A group of middle school girls were equally tepid. “I like the Jefferson one better,” one finally said.
But the symbolism of the fountain deserves some credit and real attention. Sculptor Lorado Taft has Columbus standing, arms crossed, calmly facing the Capitol. He is flanked by an American Indian, with a pack of arrows, representing the “New World” facing West and a bearded elderly man representing the “Old World” facing East. In front of Columbus is the gracious Discovery herself, leading the way, and above Columbus is a globe of the world cornered by American Eagles.
To complete the scene, the rear of the monument features a medallion in honor of Spanish financiers King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella and three flagpoles representing the three ships of Columbus’ envoy. Along with the inscription reading: “To the memory of Christopher Columbus, whose high faith and indomitable courage gave to mankind a new world.”
As you emerge from Union Station, the first thing you see is the rear of the Columbus fountain. Its marbled plaza is an alluring first sight, fitting as it is with the classicism of Union Station itself, and it’s open enough to provide a breath of fresh air and space after a cramped train ride.
So, in the end, the Columbus fountain remains a compelling work, and another one of the many memorials in D.C. that carries its own unique story, that all together celebrate the rich history of our country.