BUFFALO (AP) — A Christopher Columbus statue in Buffalo was removed Friday and will be replaced by a new monument “that reflects the positive history of the Italian immigrant experience,” the organization that erected the statue in the 1930s announced.

“Our decision to remove the monument is in keeping with our community’s tradition of cultural unity through diversity,” Donald A. Alessi, past president of the Federation of Italian-American Societies of Western New York, said in a statement.

The statue, which anchored Buffalo’s Columbus Park, had been vandalized repeatedly amid growing controversy over the legacy of the 15th-century navigator. It was removed by the city early Friday at the behest of the Italian American group.

Officials with the group said another location with be chosen for the statue. They said the park will be renamed in dedication to Italian American heritage,