The statue of the former director of Parks and Gardens of the Madrid City Council, the author of emblematic places in the Retiro Park, such as the Rose Garden (La Rosaleda) in 1915 and these eponymous gardens, was inaugurated on November 21, 1949. It fulfilled an agreement dated 1947 of the Madrid City Council, in gratitude for the 75 years of service given by Cecilio Rodríguez himself to the City of Madrid.