The Balbo Monument is in rough shape. What should we do with it?

[Beringia]

Article from WBEZ

It’s an ancient Roman relic named for a fascist leader.



The column was set up on a travertine base, with an inscription in Italian, describing it as a gift to Chicago from the people "dell'Italia fascista".

Replacing or altering controversial monuments is not new for the city of Chicago. Think of the two statues of Christopher Columbus, removed permanently in 2020, or the Haymarket Police Memorial Statue, which officials have moved over a half-dozen times.

Another marker, the Balbo Monument, has fueled debate for at least eight decades and still stands in the shadow of Soldier Field. Controversial past aside, it has other problems to worry about.

“This monument needs a lot of work,” Andrzej Dajnowski said while reviewing the Balbo Monument in Burnham Park on a recent Friday. Dajnowski is a world-renowned sculpture conservator who has refurbished many monuments and artworks in Chicago, including the Art Institute lions in 2022.

The centerpiece of the Balbo Monument is an ancient Roman column made of breccia, an ornamental stone used frequently in Roman architecture. It sits atop a large travertine base with marble components in between, and it’s not in good shape.

https://www.wbez.org/curious-city/2026/05/13/the-balbo-monument-is-in-rough-shape-what-should-we-do-with-it

https://www.ostia-antica.org/dict/topics/excavations/excavations15.htm

[HighFired49]

1. Rename it

or "Return to Sender, address unknown.."

[Beringia]

2. I would save it for its age and beauty

Why destroy works of art

[ShazzieB]

3. This how I lean also.

I'm all preserving ancient relics. Maybe turn the whole thing over to some organization that knows how to care for the Roman pillar properly, like the Art Institute or the Field Museum (assuming they'd want it, ot course)? I'm just spitballing here, but it seems like a museum would be an appropriate home for something like that.

[Munu]

4. Fix it up and add a plaque explaining the origin of it.

It could be a good way to teach a history lesson.
No one will look at and be inspired to imitate Mussolini.