The design for a new statue for Wooster Square in New Haven has been approved to replace the Christopher Columbus statue that was removed in 2020. The new statue that will honor Italian-American heritage was approved at a Board of Alders meeting on Monday night. The statue depicting an Italian family will be just feet away from where the Christopher Columbus statue once stood before it became the center of protests and dispute.

“The design for the new monument has now received all necessary approvals from the Historic District Commission, the Cultural Affairs Commission, the Parks Commission and the Board of Alders,” said New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker. “I think that deserves a round of applause.” As social justice movements swept the nation, the City of New Haven made history by taking down the 1892 statue depicting the Italian explorer.