Chicago s Roman Column

I'm standing next to Soldier Field, just south of downtown Chicago. Lake Michigan is about 100 yards to my left, and behind me is the American Midwest's only Roman column. It came here under surprising circumstances, and as you might guess from the chain link fence still around it now, its presence here is controversial. So let's tell its story. This column comes from Ostia, the port of ancient Rome. It was excavated during the massive campaigns of the 1930s, and was sent here as part of a publicity stunt. In 1933-4, Chicago hosted the second, and much less famous, of its Two Worlds Fairs. This was the Century of Progress, meant to celebrate both the centenary of Chicago's foundation and recent advances in technology. Like other expositions, it had pavilions for many foreign nations, among them Mussolini's Italy. By the early 30s, Italy had been fascist for more than a decade. The fascist methods were criticized by international observers, but fascism lacked the connotations it has now. It was not yet a pariah state, and Italy was in fact a close ally of America at that time. So, as part of an attempt to publicize its regime and give it the best possible light in American eyes, Mussolini sent his air marshal, Italo Balbo, to Chicago in 1933. Balbo was sent with 25 amphibious planes, and flew all the way from Italy to Chicago by a series of steps. It was a major technological feat, and when Balbo landed here, or very near here, in July of 1933, a huge crowd gathered to welcome him, above all Chicago's Italian-American community. In celebration of his feat, nearby 7th Street became Balbo Drive, as it still is today. And when a Roman column was sent by Mussolini to stand beside the Italian pavilion at the exposition, it was dedicated to Balbo. Let's take a closer look at the inscription on its base. The inscription is in Italian, but follows the conventions of Latin epigraphy. It reads, This column, twenty centuries old, stood by the shore of Ostia, the port of imperial Rome, to guard the fortunes and the victories of the Roman triremes. Fascist Italy, under the auspices of Mussolini, gave it to Chicago as an exaltation, symbol, and record of the Atlantic squadron guided by Balbo, which, with Roman daring, crossed the ocean in the eleventh year of the fascist era. This inscription pulls no punches about who's giving it, and the close links between this column and fascism have led it to be targeted often for removal and for vandalism, whence the fence. As you can see, also the axes that used to stand and the fascist bundles on both sides, the Roman fascis, have been knocked off. But I'd prefer it stays here. I'd rather it be recontextualized with a new plaque that explains the remarkable story of how this Roman column came here to Chicago.