Dallas gets OK to remove Confederate War Memorial

DALLAS—A Dallas commission has approved a plan to remove the city's 123-year-old Confederate War Memorial, which officials determined was a racist relic rather than a historic landmark.

The Landmark Commission voted Monday in favor of bringing down the 65-foot obelisk that's stood over Pioneer Park Cemetery since 1961, the Dallas Morning News reported. Commissioners decided the obelisk and surrounding statues of Confederate leaders Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and Albert Johnston don't contribute to the historic character of the district.

The City Council voted to remove the memorial last month, but needed the landmark commission's approval to take the structures down.

The move came about 18 months after city officials authorized the removal of monuments dedicated to the Confederacy, beginning with the statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee in 2017.

Read more: http://www.texarkanagazette.com/news/texas/story/2019/mar/06/dallas-gets-ok-remove-confederate-war-memorial/768549/