In Statue of Christopher Columbus (Astoria, Queens), how is the History discussed?
The origins of the statue lie in the 1920s in the Italian-American community in Long Island and Astoria. It began raising money for the statue, but work stalled when the community couldn't afford a base. By 1930, the Board of Aldermen had renamed the park, on the east side of the Astoria Boulevard (BMT Astoria Line) station, Columbus Square. The statue was dedicated in 1941, but that year it provoked an argument between Queens Borough President George U. Harvey and Parks Commissioner Robert Moses. During World War II, the statue was removed and hidden on fears of being taken for war-use scrap metal. After some years in warehouses and the basement of Queens Borough Hall, it was reinstalled on its base.
Queens Borough Hall Astoria Boulevard (BMT Astoria Line) Robert Moses World War II