NEW YORK - The statue of Christopher Columbus in Columbus Circle has been officially added to the National Register of Historic Places, meaning it cannot be moved or changed. 

Critics have said the statue glorifies genocide, and a city commission had been deciding whether to remove it after Confederate monuments were removed in the south.

But that panel eventually decided to keep Columbus where he is.

Governor Andrew Cuomo said the statue is "Revered by the Italian-American community in New York and stands as a tribute to the ways our state has welcomed immigrants from around the globe."

The 76-foot tall column was first erected in 1892 in Central Park.