Some Chicagoans Are Pushing For Removal Of Balbo Monument, Gifted To City By Fascist Dictator

By Stephen Gossett in News on Aug 15, 2017 8:50PM

Balbo Monument / Flickr / Photo: rchdj10

Cities such as Baltimore and Lexington, Kentucky are going forward with plans to take down Confederate statues, as the debate over whether or not to remove such monuments ramps up in the wake of the events in Charlottesville. But the question extends beyond just the Confederacy and into monuments of and from other repressive governments—a fact to which Chicagoans are once again trying to come to terms, specifically the case of the Balbo Monument, which was gifted to Chicago by fascist dictator Benito Mussolini in 1933.

The monument—which features a 2,000-year-old Roman pillar placed atop a stone base—was given to Chicago to be displayed at the Italian Pavilion at the Century of Progress World's Fair, and it still stands today in Grant Park. The gift from Mussolini was built as a tribute to the first transatlantic crossing made by Italo Balbo, an Italian Air Force Marshal who helped usher Mussolini and other fascists to power in 1922.

Chicago has long struggled with the Balbo dilemma, and some have taken less oppositional views. (The city of course has Balbo Drive, too.) In a commentary roundup of "potentially offensive monuments" found in Chicago, Mark Jacob noted in the Tribune earlier this year: "Some say Chicago's continued recognition of Balbo is an embarrassing endorsement of fascism. Others say Balbo wasn't nearly as bad as Mussolini and cite the fact that Balbo opposed anti-Jewish laws and Italy's alliance with Hitler's Germany." One supporter of a recent restoration effort said the statue was a celebration of Italian culture and Balbo's flight was the "proudest moment for Italians in America," according to the Chicago Parks Foundation.

But the fascist ties are enough for some Chicagoans to call for a change. As Curbed noted, transportation site Streetsblog tweeted on Tuesday morning that the monument should be replaced.

A prominent Chicago activist also reiterated the call:

This isn't the first time we've seen pushback against Chicago's relationship with Balbo. As Curbed highlighted, Chicago magazine in 2008 dove into the 1946 effort to rid the city of the Balbo legacy. Whatever comes of the most recent push, there's no doubt the question of whether to store away or recontextualize is again on minds.

[H/T Curbed Chicago]