Columbus Day Event Features the 100th Anniversary of the Columbus Memorial (photos)

Columbus Day ceremonies in the nation’s capital featured the 100th anniversary of the unveiling of the nation’s memorial honoring the great discoverer Christopher Columbus on Monday, Oct. 8, on Columbus Plaza at Union Station. The Christopher Columbus Memorial Fountain (also known as Columbus Monument) was carved from Italian marble by Lorado Z. Taft and was erected at Washington, D.C.’s Union Station in 1912. The work depicts a figure of Columbus standing before a ship’s prow with Old World and New World images to either side.

The event was sponsored by the National Columbus Celebration Association in coordination with the National Park Service. Participating in the ceremony, the Knights of Columbus, the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, National Italian American Foundation and dignitaries from the Italian Embassy, the Spanish Embassy and the Organization of American States.

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