An east-end Montreal park named for renowned Italian-Canadian artist Guido Nincheri will keep its name after all.
Mayor Denis Coderre had wanted the park, located at Rachel St. and Pie-IX Blvd. near Olympic Stadium, to be renamed "Parc de la Ville de Québec", to recognize the city for its gift of statues for Montreal's 375th birthday celebrations next year.
Italian Montrealers, however, were outraged at the move.
On Monday night, Coderre tweeted that he had spoken to Nincheri's grandson, Roger Boccini Nincheri, informing him of the decision to keep Nincheri's name on the park.
A space in the park will be dubbed Piazza del Quebec instead.
Guido Nincheri, who emigrated to Montreal from Tuscany in 1915, became known as the 'Michaelangelo of Montreal' for his stained glass windows and frescoes, which can still be seen in churches across North America — including the Church of the Madonna della Difesa in Little Italy, and the St. Leon de Westmount Church.
Nincheri died in 1973. His former studio was located across from the park, which was named after him in 1992, to mark Montreal's 350th birthday.