Nowhere in the country has the existence of statues honoring the Confederacy been more hotly debated than in the former capital itself – Richmond, Virginia, with its iconic statues along Monument Avenue (called America’s most controversial street).
Monument Avenue was certainly my favorite street in Richmond when I was growing up there, so when I visited last week, my first time as a tourist, I was dying to see the empty plinths after statues had been removed. And I’ll get to them later but first I think Rant readers might enjoy the gardens along this stunning street – I sure did. Combined with stunning architecture, and a wide green median strip, the avenue is a monument to good taste and generous street planning with or without the six famous statues.
Gardens and Homes of Monument Avenue
I spent several hours on a blissfully cool June morning cycling along the avenue, so stopping to photograph the MANY outstanding gardens was no problem. (I’ve found cycling has to be the perfect way to tour cities, as long as they’re not too hilly.)
Notice the variety of architectural styles! I won’t even try to identify all of them, despite having recently taken (audited) a college course in the History of American Architecture.)
Large front porches are to die for. They make even this expensive neighborhood so much friendlier.
I saw lots of “No Casino” signs along the avenue. Yeah, I can’t imagine these homeowners wanting a casino anywhere near them.
This is a good example of creating a lovely, colorful front garden using nothing but well pruned shrubs, mostly evergreen. This house is apparently famous.
From the professional design above to a real gardener’s garden. Designers might call this busy and high-maintenance, but gardeners just call it gardening.
Among the distinctly Eastern architectural styles of Colonial Revival, Beaux Arts and others I can’t identify, I noticed this Spanish style home with the perfectly espaliered tree as its main feature. I think it fits in just fine.
Unlike this thumb-in-the-eye of a home that I’m amazed got approved. I generally LIKE modern architecture, but not this one and certainly not this one HERE. Where was the Monument Avenue Preservation Society when this was built?
The Monuments – What’s Left of Them
What to do with the Confederate statues is still being decided. Here’s the latest news of Virginia’s design committees and Supreme Court deciding the future of the statues, all but one already removed.
Above, where the JEB Stuart statue once was.
Former home of the Jefferson Davis statue.
Plinth for statue of Stonewall Jackson.
The biggest shock to this Richmonder was seeing Lee still standing, surrounded by fencing and graffiti. Governor Northam says it’ll be removed as soon as possible. But to where? Not decided yet.
In my tour by bicycle I neglected to go far enough west on the avenue to the Arthur Ashe statue, unveiled in 1996, three years after the death of this beloved Richmonder. During the race-related protests of 2020 someone wrote “White Lives Matter” on the base of this statue, causing Ashe’s family to suggest moving it for its own protection. They’ve since decided to let it remain in place. So glad!
Richmond’s most recent use of statuary to make a point about art and representation is this “Rumors of War” statue by Kehinde Wiley, who’s most famous for painting this portrait of President Obama.
It mimics the style of Confederate statuary with the cheeky subject wearing what’s called urban street garb and dreadlocks in a bunch. It’s on the grounds of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. just 3 blocks from Monument Avenue. It was installed here in 2019.
For a few years, my son lived one block from Monument Ave. I loved walking down Monument to check out the homes and gardens.
As a fellow Richmonder I’ll recommend How the Monuments Came Down which premiered on PBS last night. I’ll keep an eye out for that little modern house- had not noticed in my commute.
Thanks for the tip – I’ll watch!
I grew up in Richmond but moved to Canada more than 50 years ago. Monument Avenue and the statues were part of my childhood but I long ago concluded that removing them was necessary. It’s startling to see the empty plinths and to see fencing around Lee astride Traveller. The graffiti wasn’t a shock — I’ve seen too many photos of it on the Lee statue — but the fence, the sunflowers and what look like small trees growing around it were. As for the monument to Arthur Ashe, I remember all too well the controversy when the statue was first erected. Placing it so much farther west on Monument Avenue sent a message of its own. I’m sorry(but not surprised) to read that it was defaced. As for Kihende Wiley’s statue, Rumors of War, I say Bravo, for the work and to the museum for giving it a prominent position.
As people who enjoy the artistry of gardens, one hopes the mentioned statues will be safely stored until such time that the work of Frederick Moynihan, Edward V. Valentine, William C. Noland, Frederick W. Sievers, and Antonin Mercie can be appreciated for their artistry and skill, if not for the subject matter.
Yes, the monuments are works of art so shouldn’t be destroyed just because they depict people who are now considered traitors. They weren’t considered that by many at the time, they were heroes, as painful as that might be to hear today. It’s so difficult preserving “history” because whose history gets saved? I won’t go further into that because this is a garden site.
In the meantime, the avenue is cleared and one can enjoy the front yards and gardens without the statues hovering in the background.
Will definitely watch.. Thanks for this information
Here’s the PBS show on YouTube! https://youtu.be/IUMBmdOcM-Q
Could barely read your article or appreciate the photos with so many ads, Susan. No need to lecture me on the revenue they bring in or how much they’re needed, thanks. I’ve read it all. They are a hindrance and an eyesore on such an otherwise lovely, visually pleasant site.
As for Richmond, I wish them well as they proceed with this necessary but rather sad process. It hurts to see Robert E. Lee’s statue defaced like that. There is so much more to his life and story than those four tragic years imply.
Virginia itself is in process and this Western moderate Democrat, raised in the Northeast and a former Southern resident due to military assignments, watches its transition with fascination.
I’ll take you at your word that you’re well informed about the finances of blogging and just ask – so what do you suggest we do instead? Seriously, what do other sites you read do to pay the bills?
Maybe blogs will eventually be able to offer a premium, ad-free version to readers, like Spotify and other services and if we could, would you pay and how much?
Or did you just want to make me feel bad about the time and care I’ve devoted to writing and photographing for this blog for 15 years, with no exterior reward?
I very much appreciate Garden Rant and all of the hard work and expertise that go into these fine articles. I actually shut my tab and brought up this article again to see what Diane was talking about re: the ads. I hardly notice them. I have trained myself to ignore them. There are sites that are FAR worse: ads popping up and actually blocking the print or pictures, and you have to close each one as you go along, like shooting thugs in a video game. Or accidentally clicking on the ad instead of closing it. Arghh… If ad revenue helps this site to exist, then so be it. I guess some people are more easily distracted than others.
Thanks so much!
Paid Subscriptions would work fine for me as I imagine they would for most of your readers. No need to take offense, Susan, at my simple, reality-based concerns which I have expressed before on here. This is one of the first times you’ve ever acknowledged one of my comments so I’m sorry if I ruffled any feathers. The ads remain annoying and yes, distracting. To the other Susan, yes some of us “are more easily distracted than others;” would that it were not so. You are fortunate that you have trained yourself to ignore them.
If you use Chrome, you can download a free plugin called Mercury Reader that removes ads and distractions and gives you a nice clean article to read.
Thanks Mary but I dont have Chrome; I read GR on an I-pad. Any suggestions for this device? Ironically as I was attempting to write this Comment, a garish video ad from Tacoma brand SUVs cut right into the middle of my first sentence! Peace to all but I’m afraid the benefit ratio is fading fast for me.
I too needed to go back and look for the ads. I think that my scrolling right over them might come from how I’ve learned to scroll through Facebook ignoring all but friends’ and humor postings.
I lived on Grace street for 5 years in the 90s and enjoyed your photos of the homes and gardens. Thank you for your garden writings.
I grew up in RVA and moved back in 2019. I don’t have much to add to your article with the exception of one thing. I am aware of the person who continued to paint gray over the graffiti on Jeb Stuart as shown in your picture. It’s a two sided debate on the statues, on the one hand it presents a horrible, in your face, history which offends many and at the same time it beckons one to never forget. Personally, the keeping of the statues may best be contextulized in a museum with explanations of who, what, when and where.
I, too, have a BS in Horticulture.
Modern architecture is generally something I enjoy. It’s a long way from the professional design shown above to a real garden. When it comes to gardening, designers might refer to it as busy and high-maintenance.