Columbus Circle Monument (Christopher Columbus Statue, NYC)
Borough: Manhattan
Neighborhood: Midtown West / Columbus Circle
Location: Columbus Circle at the southwest corner of Central Park (59th Street & Eighth Avenue)
Nearest subway: A/B/C/D/1 at 59th Street–Columbus Circle
The Columbus Circle Monument — often searched as the Christopher Columbus statue at Columbus Circle, NYC — is one of Manhattan’s most visible memorials. Set at the gateway to Central Park, the monument sits in one of the city’s highest‑traffic pedestrian and transit nodes, which makes it both a landmark and a practical navigation point.
While NewYorkCityStatues.com focuses on individual statue entries, Columbus Circle is also a place where urban design and monument placement interact directly: traffic geometry, sightlines up and down Broadway, and the park edge all shape how the sculpture reads from different angles.
What you are looking at
The monument is a tall column topped by a figure associated with Christopher Columbus, with additional sculptural elements at the base. From street level, the work can feel “above” the viewer due to the column height and the constant motion of the circle. The best viewing is usually from protected pedestrian islands rather than the curb line.
Approaching from Central Park South, the monument presents as an axis marker. Approaching from the subway station, it reads more as a vertical beacon — a wayfinding point that helps orient you before you decide whether you’re heading into the park, down Broadway, or along Eighth Avenue.
How to find the Columbus Circle statue / monument
Exit the 59th Street–Columbus Circle station and follow signs toward Columbus Circle. The monument is in the center of the circle. Use the pedestrian islands and crosswalks to approach safely; avoid trying to “cut across” the circle. If you are coming from Central Park, walk to the southwest corner near 59th Street and Eighth Avenue and use the marked crossings.
Why this monument matters in NYC’s public sculpture network
Columbus Circle functions like a hinge between neighborhoods: Midtown, the Upper West Side edge, and the Central Park perimeter. That makes this monument a natural connective entry in a statues archive, because so many walking routes pass through the circle even if the monument is not the main destination.
As this archive is restored, Columbus Circle will also serve as a useful “cluster gateway” linking to nearby Central Park sculptures and adjacent Midtown civic memorials.
Related NYC statue pages
- Miguel de Cervantes (near the Midtown / park corridor)
- Audrey Munson (Riverside Park vicinity)
- Chester A. Arthur
- Washington Square Arch (Greenwich Village)
- Manhattan statue index
This page is part of the ongoing restoration of NewYorkCityStatues.com. Additional historical detail and on‑site notes will be added as the archive expands.