THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 25, 1995 TAG: 9511250274
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Short : 44 lines
The Arthur Ashe statue is back on city officials' agenda, but this time the debate will be limited to such issues as the style and scale of the monument's base, traffic patterns and lighting.
``The statue itself is not open to debate,'' said Tom Fahed, chairman of the city's Commission of Architectural Review. He said he wanted to make that point clear to keep people from rushing to a Dec. 20 commission meeting to argue against erecting the statue on the city's historic Monument Avenue.
City Council voted last summer to place the statue on the scenic boulevard, which is dotted with monuments to Confederate heroes. Supporters said it was an appropriate honor for Ashe, but opponents said the statue should be erected elsewhere. Some opponents also have questioned the artistic worth of the statue. That discussion was revived recently when the city administration decided the monument should go in the middle of the intersection at Monument Avenue and Roseneath Road.
That put it inside the Monument Avenue Historic District, meaning approval of the Commission of Architectural Review is required. Any ruling by the commission can be appealed to the City Council.
The monument was designed and sculpted by artist Paul Di Pasquale. The Virginia Heroes Foundation, a philanthropic organization founded by Ashe in 1990, is raising $400,000 to pay for it.
Originally, Virginia Heroes wanted the monument erected at Monument and Kent Road. However, the city Planning Commission later recommended it be put at Roseneath.
Then Virginia Heroes decided it should be in the median west of the intersection. That would have put it outside the historic district and eliminated the Commission of Architectural Review's participation.
Since then, the city administration has decided the monument should be the center of a traffic circle just like the monuments to Confederate heroes on the avenue. That move brought the commission back into the fray. by CNB