Columbus Circle rotary is an intersection of Eighth Avenue,
Broadway, Central Park South (West 59th Street), and Central Park West, at the
southwest corner of Central Park.
The Circle at Eighth Avenue and 59th Street was opened on March 2, 1867. The land on which Columbus Circle is located was acquired by the City by condemnation proceedings on February 28, 1868.
In 1869, it was referred as an open circular place, a turnabout for horse-drawn vehicles, by the Commissioners of the Board of Central Park (see an illustration from 1873). By 1875, it was known as "The Circle" (see map below), later the Grand Circle, as it was called by the New York Times in 1904. This newspaper, however, had call it Columbus Circle in its issue of January 5, 1902, and the "Eight Avenue Circle" in September 21, same year. The name became undoubtedly Columbus Circle after the opening of the subway line and local station on October 27, 1904.
The Columbus statue arrived in New York from Italy on September 4, 1892. The cornerstone of the Columbus Monument was laid on September 16, 1892. The Monument was design by Sicilian sculptor Gaetano Russo and donated to the City of New York by the Italian-American community. The Columbus Monument was dedicated on October 12, 1892, the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Christopher Columbus, in the Antilles. The surrounding fountains were dedicated on Columbus Day, October 12, 1965.
In 1943, the immigration services moved from Ellis Island to Columbus Circle. In 1987, the Circle began to be redesigned. It was completed in 2005, resulting in new traffic patterns as well as an expanded plaza around the fountain designed by Olin Partnership with fountains, trees, and benches.
