Bronze Devil from the White City: Interrogating Whiteness & Memory via the Columbus Monument in Arrigo Park

This thesis uses the Christopher Columbus monument by Moses Ezekiel that previously stood at Arrigo Park to interrogate the whiteness of Italians in Chicago. By exploring the monument's provenance from the 1893 Columbian Exposition all the way to the summer of 2020, this thesis interrogates how Italians achieved whiteness, latching onto him as a symbol for building a strong public memory. Looking into connections across the city's built environment through churches, urban renewal, and public celebration, this thesis situates the complicated conversation of monuments and their legacy in a contemporary city like Chicago.