''Robert Edward Lee'' Sculpture

Robert Edward Lee Sculpture

The sculpture in January 2006
Location Emancipation Park (Charlottesville, Virginia), bounded by Market, Jefferson, 1st and 2nd streets, Northeast
Coordinates 38°1′55″N 78°28′42″W / 38.03194°N 78.47833°W / 38.03194; -78.47833Coordinates: 38°1′55″N 78°28′42″W / 38.03194°N 78.47833°W / 38.03194; -78.47833
Area less than one acre
Built 1924 (1924)
Architect Henry Shrady; Leo Lentelli
Architectural style bronze sculpture
MPS Four Monumental Figurative Outdoor Sculptures in Charlottesville MPS
NRHP Reference # 97000447[1]
VLR # 104-0264
Significant dates
Added to NRHP May 16, 1997
Designated VLR June 19, 1996[2]

Robert Edward Lee Sculpture is a historic bronze equestrian statue of Robert E. Lee located in Charlottesville, Virginia's Emancipation Park. It was sculpted by artists Henry Shrady (1871–1922) and Leo Lentelli (1879–1961), and was the second of four works commissioned from members of the National Sculpture Society by philanthropist Paul Goodloe McIntire. The sculpture was the third of three McIntire gave to the city during the years 1919 to 1924. The sculpture was commissioned in 1917, and erected in 1924.[3]

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.[1] It is located in the Charlottesville and Albemarle County Courthouse Historic District.

Removal

The Charlottesville City Council voted in April 2017 to remove the statue.[4] A lawsuit was filed by numerous plaintiffs, including the Sons of Confederate Veterans, to block the removal of the Lee statue and another of Stonewall Jackson that the city plans to remove based on a Virginia statute dating back to 1902 that protects all war monuments in the state. The city argued that the statues of the two Confederate Generals were not erected to commemorate the Civil War and therefore the Virginia statute protecting war monuments does not apply to them. On May 2, 2017 Judge Richard Moore issued a temporary injunction in the lawsuit blocking the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue for six months, in the public's interest, pending a court decision in the suit.[5]

Protests

On May 14, 2017, alt-right figure Richard B. Spencer led a torch-lit protest in Lee Park.[6][7][4][8] The protest was met with counter-protesters.[8]

On July 8, 2017, the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan held a rally in Charlottesville protesting the city's plan to remove the statue. The approximately 50 Klansmen were met by several hundred counter-protesters. The police used tear gas to disperse the crowd, and made 23 arrests.[9]

On August 11, 2017, clashes broke out between white supremacists and counter protesters over the removal of the statue.[10]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  3. ↑ Betsey Gohdes-Baten (April 1996). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Robert Edward Lee Sculpture" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. and Accompanying photo
  4. 1 2 Laughland, Oliver (May 14, 2017). "White nationalist Richard Spencer at rally over Confederate statue's removal". The Guardian. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Judge halts removal of Lee statue for 6 months". Wdbj7.com. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  6. ↑ Nicole Hensley (2017-05-14). "Torch-wielding protesters chanting 'Russia is our friend' rally at Confederate statue in Virginia". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2017-05-16.
  7. ↑ "Torch-wielding protesters rally at Confederate statue in Virginia". Nydailynews.com. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  8. 1 2 "Mayor: Torch-lit protest in Charlottesville, Va. "hearkens back to the days of the KKK"". CBS News. May 15, 2017. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
  9. ↑ Ellis, Ralph (July 8, 2017). "Counterprotesters outnumber, confront Klan supporters at Virginia KKK rally". CNN. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  10. ↑ "State of emergency declared amid violence at Charlottesville's 'Unite the Right' rally". CNN. August 12, 2017. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
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