The Robert E. Lee statue is removed from its plinth
The Robert E. Lee statue is removed from its pedestal. (Kevin Morley, University Marketing)

Sept. 8, 2021

In photos: The Lee statue comes down

The Robert E. Lee monument, the last of the five major Confederate statues on Monument Avenue, is removed from its plinth.

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By VCU News staff

With crowds of people gathering to watch, the Robert E. Lee statue was lowered from its pedestal on Monument Avenue on Wednesday. The statue’s removal “helps advance a more inclusive world,” said VCU President Michael Rao, Ph.D., and is “an historic moment in the never-ending mission to promote inclusion and opportunity for all human beings.” 

VCU photographers were on site to capture the historic event.

The Robert E. Lee statue on Monument Avenue
The Robert E. Lee statue on Monument Avenue early Wednesday morning. (Kevin Morley, University Marketing)
Workers prepare to remove the Robert E. Lee statue from its plinth
Workers prepare to remove the statue from its plinth. (Kevin Morley, University Marketing)
Workers begin removing the Robert E. Lee statue from its plinth
Workers prepare to remove the Robert E. Lee statue from its plinth
Workers prepare to remove the Robert E. Lee statue from its plinth
Workers prepare to remove the Robert E. Lee statue from its plinth
The Robert E. Lee statue is removed from its plinth
A crowd of people gathers to watch the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue
A crowd of people gathers to watch the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue. (Kevin Morley, University Marketing)
The Robert E. Lee statue is removed from its plinth
Workers atop the empty pedestal after the Robert E. Lee statue is removed
Workers atop the empty pedestal after the Lee statue is removed. (Kevin Morley, University Marketing)
A crane where the Robert E. Lee statue once stood
Photos by Kevin Morley, University Marketing