Virginia Union University can keep its logo atop a historic tower on campus, the Richmond City Council decided, three years after the university erected four glowing signs without a permit.
The council issued an ordinance Monday, ending a drawn-out debate regarding the signs, which violated city guidelines and a contract between the university and the state.
To keep the signs in place, VUU agreed to inspect the tower for structural integrity, pay a $35,000 annual fee and take down the signs if they pose a risk to the safety of the tower.
“The VUU signage on the tower will provide a lasting bright-shining symbol of justice, hope and equality,” the university said in a statement.
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In 2020, VUU installed 17-foot-tall glowing logos on all four sides of the Vann Memorial Tower, which is connected to the Belgian Building on the school’s North Side campus.
The signs violated a contract VUU made with the state a decade earlier. Under the agreement, VUU received $340,000 from the National Park Service to pay for restoration of the tower, and the university promised not to alter the 165-foot tower, which was designated as a historic landmark.
Authorities worried the old tower would not support the weight of the signs. The Vann tower was built for the 1939 New York World’s Fair, and was later shipped to Richmond.
Last summer, the university and the state’s Department of Historic Resources came to a compromise that allowed the signs to stay. The agreement included the annual fee, the inspection of the tower and the promise to remove the signs if they damage the structure.
The state was not the only government entity upset. The university never obtained a permit from the city, and the Commission of Architectural Review determined the signs were larger than ordinances allow, obscured the architectural importance of the tower and detracted from the character of the building.
City officials began reviewing the matter almost two years ago. On Monday, City Council approved an ordinance authorizing special use of the property, finally bringing the case to an end.
A spokesperson for VUU said the long period of time reflected “everyone treating the issue with seriousness, and it has been heartening to see everyone work in good faith.”
From the archives: In 1960, The Richmond 34 were arrested during a sit-in at the Thalhimers lunch counter
Demonstrators are arrested and charged with trespassing at Thalhimers department store on Feb. 22, 1960. Those arrested would not leave after being refused service at a tearoom and a lunch counter.
Crowd inside Thalhimers department store the day of demonstration and arrests. Photo was not published. Photo taken Feb. 22, 1960. Was received by Times-Dispatch library on February 23, 1960
The Rev. Frank Pinkston, a 23-year-old Baptist ministerial student from Silver Springs, Fla., is arrested and charged with trespassing at Thalhimers department store on Feb. 22, 1960. Those arrested would not leave after being refused service at a tearoom and a lunch counter.
Crowd at city lock-up after 34 demonstrators were arrested and charged with trespassing at Thalhimers department store. Those arrested would not leave after being refused service at a tearoom and a lunch counter.
Front page of the Richmond Times-Dispatch from Feb. 23, 1960. An article about arrests at the Thalhimers sit-in is in the bottom right corner.
The story that ran on the Feb. 23, 1960 front page of the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Page 4 of the Richmond Times-Dispatch from Tuesday, February 23, 1960.
Photo from page 4 of the Richmond Times-Dispatch from Feb. 23, 1960.
Published caption: "Mounted and K-9 Squad Policemen Break Up Crowd at Lock-Up After Arrests"
Thalhimers picket and protest
Thalhimers picket and protest.
Thalhimers picket and protest
LeRoy Bray arrested at Thalhimers department store as students from Virginia Union University attempt to get service in whites-only dining areas.
Frank Pinkston, lower right, at Thalhimers department store, outside the Richmond Room, Feb. 22, 1960, in an attempt to be seated in segregated dining areas.
Protest at Thalhimers department store in downtown Richmond as Virginia Union University students attempted to get served in whites-only dining areas. Dr. Marshall Banks is at left, against the wall. Cornell Moore is behind him.
Pickets outside Thalhimers department store in downtown Richmond as Virginia Union University students attempted to get served in whites-only dining areas.
Pickets outside Thalhimers department store in downtown Richmond as Virginia Union University students attempted to get served in whites-only dining areas.
Frank Pinkston, lower right, at Thalhimers department store, outside the Richmond Room, Feb. 22, 1960, in an attempt to be seated in segregated dining areas.
Protest at Thalhimers department store in downtown Richmond as Virginia Union University students attempted to get served in whites-only dining areas.
Protest at Thalhimers department store in downtown Richmond as Virginia Union University students attempted to get served in whites-only dining areas.
Thalhimers picket and protest.
Elizabeth Johnson Rice was the speaker of the "Civil Rights Day of Remembrance" at the former Thalhimers Department Store on Broad Street on Sunday, February 22, 2004. Rice returned to Richmond to commemorate the 44th anniversary of their protest over lunch counter segregation.
Viewers stand under umbrellas on Feb. 22, 2010 during the unveiling of a marker commemorating the Thalhimers sit-in and the Richmond 34.
Elizabeth Thalhimer-Smartt (left) and Elizabeth Johnson-Rice pull back the cover over a marker commemorating the Thalhimers sit-in and the Richmond 34 on Feb. 22, 2010.
Rev. Leroy M. Bray, Jr. photographed Wed. Feb. 10, 2010 in Richmond. Mr. Bray was one of 34 VUU students arrested for defying segregation and will be speaking at 50th anniversary events.
Elizabeth Johnson Rice, one of the 34 VUU students arrested in 1960 lunch-counter sit-in at Thalhimers.
Elizabeth Johnson Rice in her VUU yearbook photo
Del. Mamye E. BaCote, D-Newport News, center, received a standing ovation during the floor session of the House of Delegates in Richmond on Monday, Feb. 22, 2010. BaCote had just revealed that she was one of the "Richmond 34" who staged a sit-in at the all-white Thalhimers lunch room when she was a student at Virginia Union University.
Ford T. Johnson of Maryland unveils the historical marker commemorating the "Richmond 34," a group of mostly 34 Virginia Union University students arrested during a sit-in at the Thalhimers department store. Johnson, who is one of the 34, was accompanied by three others who took part in the sit-in: (from left): Johnson's sister, Elizabeth Johnson Rice; Raymond B. Randolph Jr. of Farmington Hills, Michigan (third from left); and Wendell Foster of Richmond (fourth from left). The unveiling took place along Broad Street, between 6th and 7th streets on June 28, 2016.
Elizabeth Johnson Rice speaks during the unveiling of an historical marker commemorating the 1960 "Richmond Sit-In" of 34 Virginia Union University students at the Thalhimers department store lunchroom. Rice is one of the 34 students who took part in the sit-in. The ceremony took place on Broad Street between 6th and 7th Streets. June 28, 2016.
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, right, welcomed the Rev. Leroy M. Bray, Jr., left, and his wife, Cynthia, center to the Executive Mansion in Richmond on Friday, Feb. 22, 2019. They were part of a group of black leaders, some of whom were members of the Richmond 34, who stages a sit-in at Thalhimers lunch counter in 1960.
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, right, talks with Rev. Dr. Claude Perkins, left, and his wife Cheryl, center, inside the Executive Mansion in Richmond, on Friday, Feb. 22, 2019. They were part of a group of black leaders, some of whom were members of the Richmond 34, who staged a sit-in at Thalhimers lunch counter in 1960.
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, left,, welcomed Dr. Roland Moore, right, and his wife, Blanche, center, to the Executive Mansion in Richmond, VA Friday, Feb. 22, 2019. They were part of a group of black leaders, some of whom were members of the Richmond 34, who staged a sit-in at Thalhimers lunch counter in 1960.
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, left, welcomed, from left, retired judge Birdie Hairston Jamison, Dr. Anderson J. Franklin and Elizabeth Rice to the Executive Mansion in Richmond on Friday, Feb. 22, 2019. They were part of a group of black leaders, some of whom were members of the Richmond 34, who staged a sit-in at Thalhimers lunch counter in 1960. Franklin and Rice were two of the original 34.
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, center, welcomed black leaders and some members of the Richmond 34 to the Executive Mansion in Richmond on Friday, Feb. 22, 2019. They were part of a group of black leaders, some of whom were members of the Richmond 34, who staged a sit-in at Thalhimer's lunch counter in 1960.
Virginia First Lady Pam Northam, left, watches as her husband, Governor Ralph Northam, right, talks with Rev. Dr. Claude Perkins, center left, and his wife Cheryl, center right, inside the Executive Mansion in Richmond on Friday, Feb. 22, 2019. The Perkins were part of a group of black leaders, visiting the Mansion, some of whom were members of the Richmond 34, who staged a sit-in at Thalhimers lunch counter in 1960.
Rev. Dr. Claude Perkins, left, and his wife Cheryl, second from left, talk with Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and First Lady Pam Northam inside the Executive Mansion in Richmond on Friday, Feb. 22, 2019. The Perkins were part of a group of black leaders, visiting the Mansion, some of whom were members of the Richmond 34, who staged a sit-in at Thalhimers lunch counter in 1960.
Elizabeth Johnson Rice, center, surrounded by lawmakers and several other original members of the Richmond 34, were honored by the House of Delegates inside the State Capitol in Richmond on Friday, Feb. 22, 2019. The Richmond 34 staged a sit-in at Thalhimers lunch room in 1960.
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, center, welcomed black leaders and some members of the Richmond 34 to the Executive Mansion in Richmond on Friday, Feb. 22, 2019. They were part of a group of black leaders, some of whom were members of the Richmond 34, who staged a sit-in at Thalhimers lunch counter in 1960.
Del. Delores McQuinn, D-Richmond, left, stands with Elizabeth Johnson Rice, center, surrounded by several other original members of the Richmond 34, from left, Dr. Anderson J. Franklin, Rev. Leroy M. Bray, Jr. and Wendell Foster, pose after they were honored by the House of Delegates inside the State Capitol in Richmond on Friday, Feb. 22, 2019. The Richmond 34 staged a sit-in at Thalhimers lunch room in 1960.
Eric Kolenich
Reporter
Eric Kolenich writes about higher education, health systems and more for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. He joined the newspaper in 2009 and spent 11 years in the Sports section. (804) 649-6109
