pped ▁gran ite ▁ped est al . ▁The ▁column ▁is ▁decor ated ▁with ▁bronze ▁relief s ▁representing ▁Columb us ' ▁ships : ▁the ▁Ni ña , ▁the ▁P inta , ▁and ▁the ▁Santa ▁María , ▁although ▁actually ▁they ▁are ▁Roman ▁g alle ys ▁instead ▁of ▁car av els . ▁Its ▁ped est al ▁features ▁an ▁ang el ▁holding ▁a ▁glo be . ▁ ▁History ▁The ▁monument ▁was ▁one ▁of ▁three ▁planned ▁as ▁part ▁of ▁the ▁city ' s ▁ 1 8 9 2 ▁comm em oration ▁of ▁the ▁ 4 0 0 th ▁anni versary ▁of ▁Columb us ' ▁landing ▁in ▁the ▁Amer icas . ▁Origin ally , ▁the ▁monument ▁was ▁planned ▁to ▁be ▁located ▁in ▁Bow ling ▁Green ▁or ▁somewhere ▁else ▁in ▁lower ▁Manh attan . ▁By ▁the ▁time ▁Rus so ' s ▁plan ▁was ▁decided ▁upon ▁in ▁ 1 8 9 0 , ▁a ▁commission ▁of ▁Italian ▁business men ▁from ▁around ▁the ▁United ▁States ▁had ▁contributed ▁$ 1 2 , 0 0 0 ▁of ▁the ▁$ 2 0 , 0 0 0 ▁needed ▁to ▁build ▁the ▁statue ▁( equ ivalent ▁to ▁$ ▁of ▁the ▁$ ▁cost ▁in ▁modern ▁dollars ). ▁The ▁statue ▁was ▁constructed ▁with ▁funds ▁raised ▁by ▁Il ▁Progress o , ▁a ▁New ▁York ▁City - based ▁Italian - language ▁newspaper . ▁ ▁Rus so ▁created ▁parts ▁of ▁the ▁Columb us ▁Column ▁in ▁his ▁Rome ▁studio ▁and ▁in ▁other ▁work sh ops ▁in ▁Italy ; ▁the ▁bronze ▁elements ▁were ▁cast ▁in ▁the ▁N elli ▁Found ry . ▁The ▁completed ▁column