Castleman supporters to appeal ruling that allowed statue to come down

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - The battle over the John B. Castleman statue still isn’t over, even though the monument has been removed from Cherokee Triangle.

On Friday, Friends of Louisville Public Art announced plans to appeal a Circuit Court ruling that allowed the city to remove the statue back in June.

The group claims the Landmarks Commission didn’t follow due process, and wants the Castleman statue put back in Cherokee Triangle. The group also said it is committed to continuing the legal process.

“Castleman served his community well,” Friends of Louisville Public Art spokesman Steve Wiser said. “He helped establish the Olmsted Parks system, which we all benefit from. That’s the reason for the statue; the statue was to honor his contributions to the park system and his equestrianist. There is nothing on that statue that had anything to do with militarism. He had no guns, no weapons.”

The statue was vandalized several times before it was removed.

The group claimed the city bowed to “vandalism intimidation” and revisionist history.

“Giving into vandal demands only empowers them,” Wiser said. “And therefore, more statues have since been damaged. This, we feel, will continue due to the city agreeing with the vandals' disrespect for our local history and landmark sculputres.”

In recent months, statues of King Louis and George Rodgers Clark have been vandalized, along with Hogan’s Fountain in Cherokee Park.

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