While everyone is focused on the Vance Monument, no one is talking about the even more obnoxious monstrosity directly across the street. The former BB&T building is going to be the most visible monument to commercialism and greed in this town. Why weren’t the developers forced to remove a few floors to make the building more appropriate to human scale?
In that vein, here is my idea for the Vance Monument: Have a local sculptor create a giant hand at the base; fingers folded to create the impression that the obelisk is a raised middle finger. And be sure it is oriented in the direction of City Council. This will be a historic reminder of how they have sold out this city to corporate, and apparently, their own greed.
— Ron Greenberg
Weaverville
3 thoughts on “Letter: Repurposing the Vance Monument”
Perhaps people can recognize the formal aesthetic value of the obelisk, being a nice piece of stone to look at, as opposed to its historical significance. In that vein, I really wouldn’t mind seeing the prominent letters VANCE removed from the thing. I don’t have a particular reason to care about or glorify him. I wouldn’t miss him. I didn’t even have any idea who he was until the hubbub about how awful he was supposed to have been. I wouldn’t mind a plaque near the monument saying, “This was originally built to honor Vance, who did such-and-such. In 201x the monument was repurposed as the Asheville Obelisk,” or whatever catchy name any of you can think up.
The Horus Is a Vengeful God, Y’all!!! obelisk?
Simply change it to memorialize the millions of babies killed and sold by Planned Parenthood which would be a amazing demonstration across the world…