FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) – Crews on Saturday removed a privately owned monument honoring Confederate soldiers in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

A brief statement from the city said the monument was relocated by its owners and placed into storage. The action was not directed or paid for by the city, the statement said.

The Fayetteville Observer reported the 23-foot-tall structure topped by a bronze statue of a Confederate soldier came down early Saturday afternoon after more than five hours of efforts.

Saturday, the owners of the monument placed the monument in storage, according to a news release from the city of Fayetteville.

“The privately-owned 1902 Confederate Monument of Fayetteville was relocated by its owners,” the news release said.

The monument, which originally cost $2,200, was installed on May 10, 1902, according to Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina.

The J. E. B. Stuart Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy was responsible for the installation, the Commemorative Landscapes website says.

The statue was moved in 2002 to face north — which placed it facing a park, according to Commemorative Landscapes of North Carolina.