RICHMOND, VA. — Virginia Commonwealth University's Board of Visitors voted Friday to spend $3.6 million on the East Marshall Street Well Project, a memorial honoring dozens of people, most of African descent, whose bodies were stolen from graves, dissected by medical students and dumped in a forgotten well in Richmond. Construction of the memorial and burial site is expected to begin in the summer of 2027.

"Years ago, VCU initiated this journey because we recognized a profound obligation to restore the human dignity of the people who were not afforded respect in their physical existence," VCU President Michael Rao said. "The East Marshall Street Well Project's sacred mission is to ensure every life is honored with the permanence and reverence they deserve."

The circular memorial will feature a unity chamber inspired by the Toguna structures of Dogon culture in West Africa. Stephen Davenport, assistant vice president for social and economic development in the VCU Division of Community Engagement and the administrative lead for the project, said the design includes a low roof to facilitate seated reflection, intended to encourage humility and thoughtful discussion.

Workers in 1994 uncovered a brick-lined well containing human bones during construction of the Kontos Medical Sciences Building on the VCU medical center campus. Researchers found hair, skin, remnants of leather shoes and glass bottles in the mud from the well. Based on archival records from the Medical College of Virginia, researchers believe the remains were dumped between the 1840s and 1860s.

Archaeologists were given a short time to examine the burial site after the 1994 discovery. Before construction resumed, the remains were removed by backhoes and sent to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Initial analysis estimated that a minimum of 44 adults and nine children were recovered from the well. Interest in the remains was renewed in 2011 after the release of a film by a VCU professor and a separate report by two forensic anthropologists.

A paper published this year by VCU researchers concluded that a preliminary anthropological analysis of the recovered human remains showed postmortem signs of dissection and amputation consistent with anatomical training and surgical procedure practice. The paper concluded that the constant demand for cadavers led to routine grave robbing practices, mainly targeting African American burial grounds to supply the medical school.

DNA study results released in February identified at least 43 distinct adults and three juveniles of predominantly African heritage, most likely from Central-West Africa, with several sets of remains bearing traces of European ancestry. The study found that skeletal analysis provided insight into the heavy labor endured by these individuals during their lives and the disregard for their bodies after death.