MARKET STREET PARK – LAND DEVELOPMENT HISTORY

The land that Market Street Park, formerly Lee Park, currently resides in was purchased by Paul Goodloe McIntire, similarly to Court Square Park and Washington Park. Prior to the purchase, this parcel held the Southall-Venable House, which belonged to Charles S. Venable, a mathematics professor from UVA and aide-de-camp to Robert E. Lee in the Civil War. This 1.04 acres of land was purchased in 1917 and donated to the city of Charlottesville by McIntire in memory of his parents and became the first public park in Charlottesville. The park was designated as a “white’s only” park and served as an important space for various types of gatherings, ceremonies, and events due to it being in downtown Charlottesville.

MARKET STREET PARK – PARK DEVELOPMENT HISTORY

• 1917 - Statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee was commissioned in 1917.
• 1924 – Statue was unveiled and the park was named Lee Park.
• 2017 - The Lee statue came under public condemnation.
• 2017 - The park was renamed Emancipation Park.
• 2018 – The park was renamed to Market Street Park.
• 2021 - The Lee statue was removed.

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