Governor Northam announces Commonwealth to remove Monument Avenue pedestal, convey state-owned land to City of Richmond

RICHMOND—Governor Ralph Northam announced December 5, 2021,  the Commonwealth will remove the pedestal that formerly displayed the statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, as part of a plan reached with the City of Richmond to convey the state-owned land to the City. Preliminary work at the site is expected to begin Monday morning. The removal process will be substantially complete by December 31.

Following the ruling of the State Supreme Court, the Commonwealth of Virginia approved the removal and the statue was taken down on September 8, 2021. Governor Ralph Northam issued a statement on the removal of the Lee Monument immediately following the removal:
“After 133 years, the statue of Robert E. Lee has finally come down—the last Confederate statue on Monument Avenue, and the largest in the South. The public monuments reflect the story we choose to tell about who we are as a people. It is time to display history as history, and use the public memorials to honor the full and inclusive truth of who we are today and in the future.” By Mk17b – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=91805269

“This land is in the middle of Richmond, and Richmonders will determine the future of this space,” said Governor Northam. “The Commonwealth will remove the pedestal and we anticipate a safe removal and a successful conclusion to this project.”

Once the pedestal has been removed, the Commonwealth will convey the circle of land to the City of Richmond. The Commonwealth will safely disassemble and store the pedestal until the next steps have been determined.

If the 1887 time capsule is recovered during the disassembly process, it will remain under the control of the Commonwealth and will be removed for preservation.