# Richmond Robert E. Lee Statue The centerpiece of Richmond, Virginia's **Monument Avenue**, this colossal equestrian statue of [[Robert E. Lee]] was unveiled in 1890 and became the largest Confederate monument on the avenue's procession of [[Lost Cause]] memorials. After the George Floyd protests, the statue was the focus of a sustained legal battle over the state's authority to remove it; courts cleared the way and it was taken down in September 2021. Its removal effectively ended Monument Avenue as a Confederate shrine. This is a Tier-2 stub. ## See Also - [[Contested Symbols Hub]] - [[Confederate Monuments]] - [[Charlottesville Robert E. Lee Statue]]