The John B. Castleman statue can be removed from the Cherokee Triangle neighborhood where it's rested for decades, the landmarks commission ruled Thursday.

It's likely the monument's new home will be in Cave Hill Cemetery, where Castleman himself is buried — which could end a controversy that's stretched on since activists demanded the Confederate soldier's likeness be taken down following the deadly 2017 Unite the Right rally in Virginia.

Mayor Greg Fischer first called for its relocation last August, arguing that Louisville shouldn't "maintain statues that serve as validating symbols for racist or bigoted ideology."

But his push hit a roadblock in January, when the Cherokee Triangle Architectural Review Committee, which is made up in part of neighbors of the statue, didn't approve an application to move the piece.

Fischer's team appealed and the landmarks commission voted Thursday 5-3 to side with his administration and allow the city to move forward with relocating it.

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"Although John B. Castleman made civic contributions to Louisville, he also fought to keep men, women and children bonded in the chains of slavery and touted his role in the Civil War in his autobiography years later," Fischer said after the vote.

"We cannot and should not erase our history, but it is important that art and monuments displayed on public property reflect our values today as a welcoming city," he added in his statement.

The landmarks commission decision can be appealed to circuit court within 30 days.

Sarah Lindgren, the city's public art administrator, said during the hearing that Louisville officials had reached an agreement in principle with Cave Hill Cemetery that would be signed pending the landmarks commission decision.

Under that preliminary agreement, the city would be responsible for care and maintenance of the statue, city spokeswoman Caitlin Bowling said.

The chairman of the landmarks commission, Chris Hartman, said Thursday that under city rules on appeals made to the body, commissioners are charged with reviewing whether the previous panel's decision was supported by their findings of fact.

But, Hartman said, the panel had not provided any written findings of fact.

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Without that, the decision was "clearly erroneous" and, under the rules, "shall" be overturned, he said.

"As there were no findings of fact, the committee denial is on its face clearly erroneous, as it lacks substantial evidence. Under the law and the bylaws, if we follow them to the letter, it shall be overturned and shall either be approved, the original application, or approved with conditions," Hartman said.

"That is our legal obligation here today."

The past chairman of the Cherokee Triangle panel, Michael Gross, testified during public comment that the panel's legal counsel advised that if no decision was reached, then no findings of fact were necessary.

But Hartman said Thursday all the commission had was what was before them and what "we're bound to do by law."

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Landmarks commissioners had an at-times testy discussion, with commissioner Jay Stottman repeatedly pushing for more debate and questioning the ARC's process. Others argued that Stottman should have recused himself because he spoke at the January meeting of the Cherokee Triangle panel and is a descendant of Castleman.

He acknowledged Thursday that he is related to Castleman, but said that didn't matter. He was one of three "no" votes, along with Joanne Weeter and Carrye Jones.

Commissioners Robert Kirchdorfer, Emily Liu, Milton Haskins Jr., Stefanie Buzan and Hartman voted in favor of overturning the ruling and allowing the city to move forward with relocating the artwork.

In his Thursday statement, Fischer called Cave Hill "a more appropriate location" for the artwork. "Details will be finalized once the legal process is complete," he added.

Another statue caught up in the debate, of George D. Prentice, an anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic founder and editor of the Louisville Journal, was removed last year. The Castleman statue's relocation proved more time-consuming because Cherokee Triangle is a historic preservation district.

A staff report from earlier in January had recommended the committee accept the city's proposal because removing the statue wouldn't change the roundabout structure or streetscape. It recommended, though, that any future public art installations or new construction be reviewed by the committee.

The landmarks commission's ruling Thursday would uphold that requirement, meaning any Castleman replacements could be subject to the Cherokee Triangle Architectural Review Committee's approval.

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Debate around the statue divided the city, with many supporters arguing Castleman's life was a complex one that shouldn't be based solely on his service during the Civil War for the Confederacy under John Hunt Morgan, the notorious leader of Morgan's Raiders.

Supporters noted that Castleman helped create Cherokee Park and several other prominent parks in Louisville. Opponents of the statue say he also helped racially segregate those same parks.

Fischer's ultimate decision in August came after a seven-member panel he assembled created a guiding set of principles for existing and future public art. That report said displays honoring the Confederacy are unwelcome in Louisville and do not represent what the city looks like today.

"We cannot ignore that Castleman fought to continue the horrific and brutal slavery of men, women and children; heralded that part of his life in his autobiography; and he had his coffin draped with both a U.S. and Confederate flag," he tweeted at the time.

"My threshold question was whether the Castleman statue would be appropriate in a predominately African American neighborhood," he continued. "The answer obviously is NO. It would be viewed as disrespectful of a historic and painful past."

Fischer previously moved to Brandenburg, Kentucky, a 121-year-old Confederate monument that once rested on Third Street.

The new location provided an "opportunity to remember and respect our history in a more proper context," Fischer said at the time. "And it's close enough that Louisvillians can visit."

Clarification: This story has been updated to reflect that the city would be tasked with care and maintenance of the Castleman statue under the agreement in principle with Cave Hill Cemetery.

Darcy Costello: 502-582-4834; dcostello@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @dctello. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/darcyc.