A Closer Look at Monument Avenue
Part I: Monument Ave—How it came to be
The first plans to construct
an avenue to honor
Confederate heroes came in
1888. 1890 marked the
unveiling of the avenue’s
first monument honoring
A postcard of Monument Avenue from the mid-20th century
Robert E. Lee. The Lee statue was designed and executed by Jean Antoine Mercie and is the grandest statue on the avenue. Mercie’s statue depicts Lee riding horseback and weighs in at a whopping 12 tons.
The Robert E. Lee Monument In 1906, the avenue was continued past Allison Street and
soon after that, the notable asphalt paving blocks began to
line the avenue. About a year later in May of 1907, the
equestrian monument of James Ewell Brown (“Jeb”) Stuart
was unveiled. The monument, created by local sculptor
Frederick Moynihan, sits in the center of Stuart Circle.
Later that year in June, a monument to confederate
president, Jefferson Davis, was erected. Also designed by
locals, this monument was created by William C. Noland The Jeb Stuart Monument and Edward V. Valentine. Representing the 11 southern states
that seceded from the Union as well as the two states that sent delegates to the Confederate
Congress, this monument boasts 13 Doric columns.
The Thomas Jefferson Monument The backside of the Jefferson Monument October 1919 marked the unveiling of the Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson
monument. The artist of the Jackson statue, F. William Sievers, also designed the Matthew
Fontaine Maury monument, which made its first appearance in 1929.
The Matthew Fontaine Maury Monument The Stonewall Jackson Monument
The Arthur Ashe statue, dedicated in 1996, marks the terminus of the avenue. (US NPS)
The Arthur Ashe Monument * * * * * * * *
Part II: Arthur Ashe—A Short Biography
Arthur Ashe, a
Richmond
native, was born
on July 10, 1943.
Ashe first
discovered his
love for tennis at
the age of 7 on
the courts at
Arthur Ashe playing tennis in 1975
Brookfield Park. By age 14, a physician in Lynchburg, VA, Dr. Walter
Johnson, had seen Ashe’s potential and became his patron. Ashe continued to succeed throughout his teenage years and eventually earned a full scholarship to U.C.L.A. In 1968, Ashe became the first black man to win a Grand Slam event by defeating Tom Okker and winning Ashe shaking hands with President Ronald Reagan in 1982 the US Open at Forest Hill. After earning multiple other Grand Slam titles, Ashe became tennis’s first black millionaire. However, Ashe’s wealth did not distract him from social issues that were important to him.
He was an advocate for integration in South Africa and he helped found the Association of
Men’s Tennis Professionals. After contracting H.I.V. through a tainted blood transfusion,
Ashe became and AIDS advocate as well. Ashe also had a passion to help underprivileged children. In 1988, he helped create tennis programs for inner-city youths in Newark,
Detroit, Atlanta, Kansas City, and Indianapolis.
Ashe promoting heart health in the 1980’s
Ashe died on February 6, 1993 of AIDS complications; he is buried at Woodland
Cemetery in Richmond. (Finn)
* * * * * * * *
Part III: The Tension that Exists Around the Avenue
I started off my exploration of the avenue on a Thursday afternoon. Once I stepped onto Monument Ave, the wealth that surrounds it became apparent. Lined with colossal mansions and expensive cars, I started off on the some one and a half mile stretch of road. The majority (5 out of the 6 to be exact) of the statues are of people associated with the Confederacy while only one other is of someone else.
And this other statue, of Arthur Ashe, is completely out of place
amongst these Confederate generals and “heroes”. Compared to
the Confederates, which are portrayed in a grandiose manner,
the Ashe statue is poorly executed. Ashe boasts a book in his
right hand and the way it is positioned, it looks like he is about
to beat the children, who are at his feet, with it. Presumably this
was not intentional but compared to the other statues that sit on grand, stone pedestals, it’s
very interesting. It seems that the lush flowerbeds are over compensating for the statue’s
lack of appeal. Besides the unintentionally horrifying aspects, it seems to be an insult to
Ashe to place him on the same plane as Confederate soldiers. Ashe
fought for integration of the races and the Confederacy fought to do the
very opposite of that. While the Confederacy is a very valid aspect of
Richmond’s history, wouldn’t it be more fitting to celebrate the more
glamorous points of Richmond’s history? This juxtaposition highlights
the still prevalent racial tensions and the strong influence the
Confederacy still has over Richmond and the country as a whole. Even
in 2016, there is still that struggle between those people who embrace
the ideals of the Confederacy and those who reject them. There are
multitudes of questions that could be raised and explored further as a result A young girl protesting for the removal of the Confederate Flag at the of this exploration, such as what people would be suitable additions to the South Carolina State House avenue? Should the confederate monuments be taken down all together?
What would be an appropriate way to display Richmond’s history with the Confederacy? Bibliography Bogaerts, R. (1975, March 1). ABN world tennis tournament in Rotterdam; Arthur Ashe in action [Digital image]. Retrieved September 20, 2016, from http://www.gahetna.nl/collectie/afbeeldingen/fotocollectie/zoeken/weer gave/detail/q/id/ac62bf74-d0b4-102d-bcf8-003048976d84
Finn, R. (1993, February 8). Arthur Ashe, Tennis Star, Is Dead at 49. Retrieved September 20, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0710 .html
McLeod, P. B. (2015, June 23). Take Down The Confederate Flag Rally at SC State House [Digital image]. Retrieved September 27, 2016, from https://www.flickr.com/photos/pmcleod/19086724742/in/album- 72157654956275042/
National Institutes of Health (U.S.). (1980s). Ashe promoting heart health after his heart attack. [Digital image]. Retrieved September 20, 2016, from https://collections.nlm.nih.gov/catalog/nlm:nlmuid-101453984-img
United States. National Park Service. (n.d.). Monument Avenue Historic District. Retrieved September 20, 2016, from https://www.nps.gov/nr/Travel/richmond/MonumentAveHD.html
VCU Libraries. (2011, March 14). Postcard Monument Avenue Aerial [Aerial postcard of Monument Avenue, Richmond, Virginia; mid-20th century.]. Retrieved September 20, 2016, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Postcard_Monument_Avenu e_Aerial.jpg
White House Photographic Office. (1982, July 19). President Reagan greets Arthur Ashe (left) in 1982 [Digital image]. Retrieved September 20, 2016, from https://reaganlibrary.archives.gov/archives/photographs/large/c9186- 21.jpg