The Vance Monument site on Pack Square could be redeveloped following a community visioning process approved by Asheville City Council March 23. The Council approved removal of the monument as a first step.
Erected in 1897, the 75-foot-tall stone obelisk is named for former Confederate military officer, N.C Governor and U.S. Senator Zebulon Vance, whose homeplace is preserved as an historic site on Reems Creek in northern Buncombe County. The monument is located on a site where former slaves are believed to have been sold.
Following civil unrest and protests in the wake of the George Floyd killing in Minneapolis in 2020, the monument was vandalized and the City received threats that members of the public would attempt to topple the structure. Increasingly, the monument has become a focal point for protests and counter protests, often resulting in a dangerous condition…
