The Columbus Monument had been a fixture in the Richmond community at the entrance of Byrd Park for 93 years before the evening of June 9, 2020 when the Columbus Statue was illegally torn down, vandalized, set on fire, and thrown into nearby Swan Lake by individuals protesting.

Since that fateful evening in 2020, The Italian-American Cultural Association of Virginia (IACA) has worked diligently to negotiate with the City of Richmond for ownership of the Columbus statue. On December 12, 2022, the Richmond City Council unanimously approved Ordinance 2022-311 transferring ownership of the Columbus statue to IACA and on February 7, 2023 the physical transfer of Columbus was completed.