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The much-debated wall – albeit a different version – will be built in Washington and Lee University’s University Chapel this summer.
W&L’s new plan for a wall in the chapel was approved after multiple permit denials last fall related to fire safety concerns.
Lexington building inspector Steve Paulk said in an email that the permits were issued on Feb. 7.
The new plan calls for the creation of a partial, freestanding wall that will serve as a visual barrier between the chapel auditorium and the recumbent statue of Robert E. Lee, but includes openings to walk around the sides, Washington and Lee University spokesman Drewry Sackett said in an email.
The wall will be located in the anteroom between the original 1868 chapel and the 1883 annex containing the Lee memorial sculpture and family crypt. All parts of the building will remain accessible to the public.
The original design for the wall separating the two spaces would have included a hidden door, but one that would only become unlocked if a fire alarm was pulled. Otherwise, the only access to the annex would be via stairs to the museum downstairs.
In June 2021, the Washington and Lee board of trustees announced its plan to “physically separate” the original chapel from the annex with the goal of permanently shielding the Lee statue from the view of those in the auditorium. Currently, doors in front of the annex can be
Other master plan projects getting underway at W&L. See page A4.
closed during university events.
W&L hired the architectural firm Quinn Evans to assist with the renovation and consulted with federal and state agencies to ensure the modifications would not affect the chapel’s national historic landmark status.
Last Oct. 4, however, Paulk denied the permits for the original plan after an 11-month review. And on Nov. 14, Lexington and Buena Vista’s joint board of building code appeals unanimously affirmed Paulk’s decision.
Paulk stated at the time that the university’s plans for the wall would have restricted people from exiting the auditorium safely in the event of an emergency.
The new plan alleviated the life-safety concerns that had previously caused the plans to be denied by Paulk. Sackett said that the trustees have seen and supported the final plan.
As part of the 2021 decision regarding the chapel wall, the Washington and Lee board of trustees voted 22-6 to preserve the name of the university, but renamed Lee Chapel as University Chapel. The decision came in light of calls for racial justice after the 2020 murder of George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer.
“We regret the university’s past veneration of the Confederacy and its role in perpetuating ‘The Lost Cause’ myths that sustained racism,” the board stated.
The decision generated backlash from segments of the Washington and Lee community — most prominently, the conservative alumni group The Generals Redoubt, which was vocally opposed to the wall.
The Generals Redoubt paid for several billboards in the Lexington area, featuring the words “Build No Wall” and a depiction of Robert E. Lee’s statue.
Two years after the board’s decision, the chapel will close for construction on June 4, according to Sackett.
As originally planned, all portraits, plaques and artifacts previously placed in the chapel will be moved to new exhibits in the Chapel Galleries and the future Museum of Institutional History.
In addition to the changes to the wall, Paulk said that the university’s new plan features “new lighting in the anteroom and sculpture room” as well as “new exit signs in the mezzanine and main egress door.”
The University Chapel will reopen in late August or early September, in time for events that are regularly held at the start of the academic year, Sackett said.
