richmond times dispatch obituary moses mason

Time capsules were popular in the Victorian era, but it wasn’t until 1936 that the modern expectation for an eventual opening date took hold, Erik Rangno writes in a 2015 article for The Atlantic magazine. Additional expenditures of $18,000 in fees and expenses rounded out the total monument cost to $77,500 - equal to about $2 million today. The pedestal alone cost $41,500, even after being scaled back from its original, more ostentatious concept, yet it still greatly eclipsed the cost of the bronze statue, which was designed and cast for about $18,000.

The cost of the Lee monument, which was unveiled in 1890, was staggering in those post-Civil War days. (Photo courtesy the Cook Collection/The Valentine)

The unveiling of the Lee monument took place May 29, 1890. Original pedestal blueprints show that additional scrollwork was proposed around the base of the pedestal, but it was never applied. The elaborate scrollwork featuring a roaring lion head festooned with acanthus and laurel leaves on the north and south pedestal ends was created by New York City-based Caspar Buberl, who was also known for his bronze statues of both Confederate and Union soldiers in Alexandria, New York and Gettysburg. Stuart, and Libby Hill Confederate Soldiers and Sailors monument pedestals. The 40-foot-high granite base was designed by French architect Paul Pujol and constructed by James Netherwood, a Richmond sculptor and quarryman. The rich history of the Lee monument pedestal at Monument and Allen avenues often goes overlooked in the storm surrounding the Marius Jean Antonin Mercié-created bronze statue that stands atop it. Lee monument might hold an amazing secret - a legendary and irreplaceable artifact related to President Abraham Lincoln worth upwards of a quarter-million dollars. Photo illustration by Sarah Lockwood Lincoln: Library of Congress blueprint: Library of Virginia monument: Cook Collection/The Valentine

Richmond times dispatch obituary moses mason