Verdi, Giuseppe, Monument
Why it's listed
Rising more than 25 feet above a small triangular park at Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue on Manhattan's upper west side, this monument honors the composer Giuseppe Verdi. Sculptor Pasquale Civiletti, a Sicilian Neoclassicist, designed it in 1906 with a stepped granite base and a cylinder. Four white Carrara marble figures representing Aida, Otello, Falstaff and Leonora surround the cylinder, and a heroic statue of the composer crowns the top. It is Civiletti's only work in New York. Carlo Barsotti, editor of the Italian-language newspaper Il Progresso Italo Americano, began raising donations for the memorial in 1901 after Verdi's death. The cornerstone was laid in September 1906, and about 10,000 people attended the unveiling that October. The monument is valued as an example of Classical Revival public art and as a symbol of Italian-American pride and identity during a period of heavy immigration. It retains a high degree of integrity in its original park setting.
Significance in brief: The monument is significant in art as a representative example of early twentieth-century public sculpture in New York City. It is also significant in ethnic heritage as a tangible expression of Italian nationalism and of the large Italian-American community in New York. It was funded largely through public donations organized by Carlo Barsotti.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 90002223, listed October 4, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Verdi Square Park, New York |
|---|---|
| County | Manhattan |
| Listed | October 4, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90002223 |
| Resource type | Object |
| Period of significance | 1906 |
| Architect / builder | Pasquale Civiletti |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th century revivals (Neoclassical) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Art, European |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Substantially intact to the period of significance; one of the four marble lyres has been removed. The surrounding park has relatively young plantings. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 40.77918, -73.98151 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 90002223.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5565542
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.