CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) – The statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee that drew violent protests to Charlottesville will be melted down and turned into a new piece of public art by an African American heritage center.

The city council decided how to dispose of the now-removed statue during a meeting that stretched into Tuesday morning, The Daily Progress reported.

The Lee statue and another of Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson were removed on the same day in July. The city received six proposals from entities interested in taking one of both of them, according to the newspaper.

Council members voted to donate the Lee statue to the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center for its “Swords Into Plowshares” program.

The council voted only on the disposition of the Lee statue Tuesday morning, the newspaper reported.