Lee Circle
New Orleans
Lee Circle is a central traffic circle in New Orleans, Louisiana, which featured a monument to Confederate General Robert E. Lee between 1884 and 2017. It is located at the intersection of St. Charles and Howard Avenues. Prior to the erection of the monument, the location was known
as Tivoli Circle or Place du Tivoli.
HISTORIC PHOTOS
the art of a statue
Alexander Doyle
A little about the sculptor
New York sculptor Alexander Doyle was comissioned to sculpt the statue, which was installed in 1884. Alexander Doyle was born in Ohio and spent time in Louisville and St. Louis before adventuring to Italy to study sculpting in Bergamo, Rome, and Florence. He studied in Italy at the National Academies at Carrara, Rome, and Florence and was a member of the Royal Raphael Academy. The Robert E. Lee statue was made with bronze and placed on a granite column. The project at the time cost $26,474. Alexander Doyle's work has been sold at auction at Christie's New York in recent years.
Laissez Les Bons TemptsRouler
Most Mardi Gras parade routes mark their half way point at Lee Circle. Stands have been set up for decades as the city of New Orleans has celebrated over a century long tradition around the historic landmark.
