General Lee Read to a small group of press and legislators on Richmond.
The Senator Terry C. Davis and Senator Gregory Alston requested the update of the George Washington monument at Richmond.
This is the latest in a series of major preservation and restoration projects. The monument has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1980. The Jefferson Davis monument on Monument Avenue is a visual reminder of the pride that many Virginians have in their Confederate heritage, though many others see it as a vestige of slavery and racism.
Two non-profit organizations have expressed interest in reconstructing the monument. The attorney representing the two, James B. Settle, said that the state could have left the project for another group, but it chose not to.
Both of the non-profit organizations want to honor the Confederacy and the effort to raise funds for the project has been brisk. The state did not receive any proposals or low bids for the project. "It's a massive piece of metal, coated in silver. I don't know that any metal company in the country would consider it. Even if they did, what would they charge?" Settle said.
Several Capitol Square groups have made suggestions and renderings of the redesign. "To see the interpretation of this historic monument that is still such a source of controversy is an interesting contrast," said House Speaker Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights). "If we don't do it, somebody else will do it."
- A Battle of the Plans?