The statue and its granite pedestal were created by Giovanni Turini upon the organization of the editors of the newspaper Il Progresso Italo-Americano to raise funds to commemorate Garibaldi after his death.[1] Turini was a volunteer member of Garibaldi's Fourth Regiment in the campaign against Austria in 1866. The statue was dedicated on June 4, 1888.[2]
In 1970, in order to construct a new promenade through the park, the statue was moved fifteen feet to the east. During its movement, a glass vessel from the 1880s was discovered beneath the statue containing newspaper articles of Garibaldi's death, a history of the Committee for the Monument of Garibaldi, and poster and news clippings describing the statue's dedication.[1]