A plan to make changes to a historic chapel is causing one group to push back.
The General's Redoubt Association is trying to get the word out about changes happening to the former Lee Chapel on Washington and Lee University's Campus.
President of the group, Tom Rideout said, right now their mission is to stop a wall inside the chapel from being built. The wall would separate a statue of Robert E. Lee from the main sanctuary.
One of the ways the group is trying to spread its message is through billboards. You may have seen them-- there's one in Lynchburg or Lexington.
"We're just trying to broaden awareness of what's going on," Rideout said.
Kamron Spivey, an intern with the group and a student at Washington and Lee said he believes building this wall would be ahistorical.
"There is absolutely no reason for a wall to be there. The chapel was designated in 1961 as a national historic landmark because of the Civil War because of Lee and covering that up covers up the significant part of the chapel. That statue is one of the most famous statues of Lee in the country," Spivey said.
Rideout said while they've had billboards up in the past, they recently put up new signage to raise awareness about the wall.
This all started after the University announced plans to make changes to the chapel in June of 2021.
The Washington and Lee University Board of Trustees announced the renaming of the chapel to the University Chapel. They also announced plans to make changes inside the chapel and to separate the auditorium from a memorial of Robert E. Lee.
Rideout said he believes this wall would be a step toward erasing Robert E. Lee's legacy and contributions to the school. .
“It's an act we think of as legacy destruction. We think it is unnecessary. We think it is an error," Rideout said. "We think, in fact, that the school needs to be actually continuing to promote the importance of his impact and his influence on the evolution of a fabulous scope, which Washington and Lee is and has a great reputation as a liberal arts school, one of the finest in the country."
Rideout adds he's concerned about this wall making it harder for people to view the statue.
He said they put up the new billboards after the school put a sign on the chapel that stated that the chapel is closed for the summer. He said they thought it might be because the University was building the wall.
Washington and Lee University provided a statement:
According to Drewry Sackett, executive director of Communications and Public Affairs at W &L, the University Chapel and Galleries are closed temporarily to the public in preparation for the renovations previously announced by Washington and Lee’s Board of Trustees. Sackett said the chapel and galleries will reopen to the public in mid-July and close again when the remaining renovation work starts.
Sackett also said in the statement, in part, "The antechamber, the statue chamber, and the statue will remain accessible to the public once the renovations are complete. We do not yet have a firm timeline for beginning or completing this work. The restoration of the auditorium is intended to honor the original vision for the chapel as an elegant but unadorned space suitable for gatherings of the student body."
Rideout said he hopes the billboards, as well as other efforts they're making, will keep the issue fresh in people's minds, and ultimately get the trustees to re-think constructing a wall to history.