Arrigo Fountain (formerly Christopher Columbus Monument)

For over 50 years, Arrigo Fountain formed the base for a bronze monument to Christopher Columbus, designed in the 1890s by sculptor Moses Ezekiel. The statue was moved around through the decades before eventually arriving here in 1966, in the heart of Little Italy. In the wake of the spring 2020 protests against endemic police violence and white supremacy that climaxed at the foot of the Columbus monument in Grant Park, public officials removed three existing Columbus statues to storage facilities. Soon after, the city announced the formation of the Chicago Monuments Project, a committee of community leaders, artists, architects and scholars to evaluate public artworks throughout Chicago and make recommendations for the current and future collection. WHAT TO LISTEN FOR: The Arrigo Park fountain roars with water that is amplified by the surrounding structural walls. Signs of city life emerge through the flow of the water: one can hear traffic moving along Loomis Street, sirens, working construction crews and daily commuters.