[4] In November 1929, the photographs were inspected and Alexander Stirling Calder was recommended by the commission to the Department of State as the artist to be hired.

[8] The location chosen for the artwork was atop a prominent hill named Skólavörðuholt [is], where stood a historic tower called Skólavarðan [is], which had to be demolished to build the monument.

Specifically how the Old Norse "Leifr Eiríksson" should be modernized for inscription on the pedestal, as the different Nordic countries use different spellings of the name, and there are multiple different anglicized versions as well.

After consulting with Sveinbjörn Johnson, an Icelandic-born law professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, "Leifr Eiricsson" was decided upon.

[18] Following the fair, the Mariners' Museum and Park in Newport News, Virginia volunteered to display the statue until a permanent location for the work could be found.

[20] Calder's statue is an iconic image of Leif, and has been used extensively to illustrate the explorer in various media, on souvenirs, stamps, coins, and so forth.

In honor of the anniversary, Íslandspóstur released a set of four "Discovery of America" themed stamps on March 16, 2000, one of which featured an image of Calder's statue.

[24] A bas-relief, featuring a version of Calder's statue by artist Ívar Valgarðsson, was unveiled in the new Leifur Eiriksson Air Terminal at its opening at Keflavík International Airport in 1987.