Don't forget George The Christopher Columbus statue in front of Cafe Piscitelli hit the headlines because of a proposal to move it to North Hill. The idea has been proposed several times in years past. Until recently, no one noted that the city of Akron made an agreement with restaurateur John Piscitelli Jr. that the statue would remain where it is. Some passers-by mistake Columbus for George Washington. Not an unlikely thought since George Washington Boulevard takes off toward the Rubber Bowl and Derby Downs near the statue.
Few motorists notice a boulder facing the traffic circle.
The memorial stone is between Strickland's custard stand and the Cafe Piscitelli. The suggested site for a relocated Columbus statue was the lower level of Waters Park across from St. Thomas Hospital on North Main Street. The area has a monument overlooked more often than noticed. The Waters Park Veterans Memorial sits in front of U.S., Ohio and Akron flags flying on flagpoles provided by the Elks Club near the north end of the All America or Y Bridge. Veterans groups, sparked by Robert J. Reynolds and Roger T. McCloskey, worked a long time to get the memorial installed in 1984.