City officials told the news station KYW that they painted the box covering the 146-year-old statue in south Philadelphia's Marconi Plaza with green, white and red stripes at the request of Councilmember Mark Squilla, who represents the district.

The new look came just in time for Columbus Day, the holiday now celebrated in Philadelphia and elsewhere as Indigenous Peoples Day.

Thomas DeFino, one of the residents who gathered in the park Sunday afternoon to celebrate their Italian American heritage with a parade and festival, welcomed the change, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

"They did it for us — the Italians. It made us feel a little bit better," DeFino said. "It's to honor our heritage. They had to pull some strings to paint it."