Charlottesville to complete statue removals

The City of Charlottesville will complete the removal project for its two Confederate statues beginning on Tuesday.

At Market Street Park, only brief traffic stops will be required to move equipment into the work zone. At Court Square Park, there will be a temporary closure of 4th Street NW along the park’s eastern boundary.

The exact schedule of the removal project is subject to change and may be impacted by weather and other site conditions.

Statue removal for storage

The City of Charlottesville and its contractor were able to safely remove the bronze statuary on Saturday.

City Council has the sole authority to determine the ultimate, final disposition of the statues. The city manager is not authorized to destroy the statues or to sell them without further action by City Council. Both statues are being stored in a secure location on city property until City Council makes a final decision on disposition.

During the past month, the city has solicited for expressions of interest from any museum, historical society, government or military battlefield interested in acquiring the statues, or either of them, for relocation and placement. The city has received 10 responses thus far – six out of state and four in-state – that are all under review. The city remains open to additional expressions of interest.

In early September, the city manager will conduct outreach with the interested parties to further evaluate their interest and resources.

Public viewing areas

Protective fencing will safely separate the public from the work zone. The public may view the progress of the removal of the stone bases from areas outside the work zone.

Lewis, Clark, and Sacajawea Statue

The City of Charlottesville and its contractor were also able to safely remove the statue of Lewis, Clark, and Sacajawea on Saturday. This action came after a unanimous vote to remove the statue in an emergency/special meeting of Charlottesville City Council that same day.

The stone base of Lewis, Clark, and Sacajawea statue will not be removed this week. The exact schedule of its removal remains to be determined. The statue was moved to the Lewis & Clark Exploratory Center at Darden Towe Park on land co-owned by the city with Albemarle County.

This statue was identified for removal by Charlottesville City Council in November 2019 after a meeting with Native American delegations. Representatives from the Shoshone and Monacan tribes, including lineal descendants of Sacajawea, expressed their extreme displeasure in the depiction of Sacajawea in the statue formerly located on West Main Street.