The decision to remove a statue of Theodore Roosevelt that has stood outside the entrance to the American Museum of Natural History for over 80 years is an inflection point in the battle over public monuments.

To be sure, there are certain nuances to the statue’s removal that distinguish it from other, more ridiculous recent cases. Importantly, the decision to remove the statue was not done by an angry mob, such as the outrageous toppling of statues of George Washington and Ulysses S. Grant. Instead, it was proposed by the museum and accepted by the New York City government, which owns the building. One of those supporting the statue’s removal was Theodore Roosevelt IV, a great-grandson of the president, who serves as a trustee of the museum.