Market Street Park, known as Lee Park until 2017, and as Emancipation Park from June 2017 to July 2018, is a public park in

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the county seat, seat of government of Albemarle County, Virginia, Albemarle County, which surrounds the ...

, United States. Market Street Park is bordered on the north by Jefferson Street, on the south by Market Street, on the west by First Street N.E., and the east by Second Street N.E.

History

The land for the park was purchased in 1917 by

Paul Goodloe McIntire Paul Goodloe McIntire (1860–1952) was an American stockbroker, investor, and philanthropist from Virginia. He served on the Chicago and New York Stock Exchanges. He was a generous donor to the University of Virginia and its home, the city of ...

to be the setting for a

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

equestrian statue An equestrian statue is a statue of a rider mounted on a horse, from the Latin ''eques'', meaning 'knight', deriving from ''equus'', meaning 'horse'. A statue of a riderless horse is strictly an equine statue. A full-sized equestrian statue is a ...

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...

and his horse Traveller that McIntire had commissioned. The park and statue were donated to the city of Charlottesville by McIntire. The statue, although commissioned in 1917, was not cast until 1924 and it was finally placed in the park on Saturday, May 3, of that year. In February 2017, the City Council voted to remove the Robert E. Lee statue from the park. However, a lawsuit opposing the removal was filed in March 2017 and the statue remained, pending the outcome of the lawsuit. On June 5, 2017, the City Council, led by Mayor

Michael Signer Michael Signer is an American attorney, author, and politician who served as mayor of Charlottesville, Virginia. Early life and education Signer is the son of Marjorie B. Signer, a communications director, and Robert Signer, a newspaper assignmen ...

, voted unanimously to change the park's name to Emancipation Park. The renaming of the park and the proposed removal of the ''Robert Edward Lee'' sculpture on the site by the Charlottesville City Council was the catalyst for 2017

Unite the Right rally The Unite the Right rally was a White supremacy#United States, white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, whi ...

and a focus of controversy between those who want it removed and those who want it to remain. In July 2018, the park was renamed Market Street Park by the Charlottesville City Council, following a petition that was submitted by community members who found the name Emancipation Park offensive due to its juxtaposition with the Lee statue. The statue was removed on July 10, 2021, and was finally destroyed by melting in 2023.

References

External links

* * {{Charlottesville monument controversy navbox 1917 establishments in Virginia Charlottesville historic monument controversy Naming controversies Parks in Charlottesville, Virginia