Despite a new lawsuit, removal of Asheville's Vance Monument base will begin May 14
ASHEVILLE - The removal of the Vance Monument base, all that remains of a downtown marker to a Confederate governor, will begin May 14 and last approximately two months, the city says.
Removal will continue despite a new complaint filed May 6 in Buncombe County Superior Court. The lawsuit looks to save the once-prominent marker.
The Society for the Historical Preservation of the 26th North Carolina Troops — which in 2015 paid $138,447 for the repair of the obelisk commemorating Gov. Zebulon Vance — filed the lawsuit. They were also responsible for the 2021 lawsuit that stopped demolition of the monument after the granite obelisk was disassembled.
Ultimately, the court ruled in the city's favor. The society then appealed to the state's highest court, which issued its decision, again in favor of the city, in March.
“The City maintains its position that the North Carolina Supreme Court upheld the City’s right to remove the monument by way of its March 22, 2024, unanimous decision rejecting the plaintiff’s appeal. That decision cleared a path for the city and community to move forward with a new vision for Pack Square," City attorney Brad Branham said in the release of the city's decision to proceed with removal.
"Our intention is to continue the process to implement that vision until or unless another court ruling dictates otherwise.”
Born in the Reems Creek community near present-day Weaverville, Vance practiced law in Asheville, starting a political career in the N.C. Senate that included stints as governor and the U.S. Senate. He served as a Confederate officer in the Civil War before being elected governor. Vance was an enslaver and white supremacist, according to historical records, the Citizen Times has previously reported.
The contractor will begin the staging process May 13, the city said in a news release. Work is expected to be completed by mid-July. Soon after, Stephen Smith, a local landscaper, will install plantings at the site of the former monument area, which was previously determined as a short-term treatment for the site.
An updated landscaping contract is currently being finalized, and that work will begin as soon as possible following the completion of the removal. Once completed, the site will be maintained by Parks and Recreation along with other areas of the park, the release said.
What to expect during the removal:
North Pack Square will be closed to vehicular traffic throughout the removal process to allow for demolition to take place.
South Pack Square will remain fully open, including parking and loading spaces (except when closed due to special events).
Areas shown in yellow and green on a map provided by the city will be closed during the monument's removal.
As for the future of Pack Square Plaza, council partnered with the McAdams Company, led by a former New York City Parks commissioner Mitchell Silver, to lead a visioning process for the central city plaza. The plan was adopted in September.
The city received a $3 million grant from the Mellon Foundation in June 2023, which includes funding for design and engineering for a new, more accessible and inclusive Pack Square Plaza, inspired by the vision plan. That project will kick-off this summer with a design firm on board this fall, the release said. Funding for construction has not yet been identified.
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Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email shonosky@citizentimes.com or message on Twitter at @slhonosky. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Downtown Asheville's Vance Monument base removal will begin May 14
