We have a chance to see Justice

Justice, Strength and Authority, and Law — I barely know ye, except that ye were about to fall on me.

The more I ask, the more I learn something about our downtown:

I’m not the only one who never paid much notice to the statues that sit atop the majestic Mahoning County Courthouse — three figures called Justice, Strength and Authority, and Law.

Though I drive by the courthouse every day, not until workers removed them did I truly notice the trio 85 feet above Market and Front streets.

They are now down from their perch and tucked in storage as a $10 million renovation plan gets under way that intends to remedy many areas of the celebrated building that was completed in 1910.

With this interim status, perhaps now is a good time to consider the following:

Would Justice, Strength and Authority, and Law be better served with a place on the ground among the masses as opposed to above the masses?

I know it’s heresy among historians to consider such a change. Two gentlemen possibly closest to Valley history and the building’s significance, architect Bob Mastriana and historian Bill Lawson, were polite in dismissing the idea.

But they acknowledged the paradox of the statues and their location.

“It certainly would do justice to have them more visible,” said Mastriana, laughing a bit at the statue’s name contrasted with the injustice of its visibility. He is in charge of the $10 million restoration.

He said when his crews brought the statues to ground level, they were awestruck by their magnificence. They are constructed in similar style to the Statue of Liberty but are 15 feet tall and 40 feet wide.

“The problem will be — are we desecrating the original status of the building?”

Lawson echoed the architect:

“If moving them is solely for display purposes and people being able to see them, then I would not be in favor. It was the artist’s intention for them to be seen atop the building,” said Lawson, executive director of the Mahoning Valley Historical Society.

I think it’s important to maintain history. And I believe that comes with a debt that we owe to future generations, a responsibility to attach them where they came from.

So is it possible to employ a flexibility that maintains historical significance while allowing for adaptations of today?

“The Star-Spangled Banner” maintains a significant and revered place in our lives today. And with the exception of Christina Aguilera and Roseanne Barr (and a few others, I suppose), the song has been adapted and enhanced in many ways to honor the past but also reflect the present.

I love my rock ’n’ roll, and I believe most listeners respect the 3 minutes and 48 seconds that guitarist Jimi Hendrix dedicated to the song.

Francis Scott Key likely would have respected it too. He wrote it, and it’s not even what he originally titled it. Its original title was “Defense of Fort M’Henry.” And the melody we use is borrowed from a British ballad.

And, certainly, Key could never have envisioned the national anthem’s use before every major sporting event, just as we could not imagine it not being played in such venues.

For the Valley, Justice, Strength and Authority, and Law have a significant place in our history. But they were erected in 1910 Youngstown when the courthouse stood out over other structures.

The landscape then, as described by Lawson, allowed for a grander view of the building and the facade.

Building designer Charles F. Owsley likely never envisioned a day when nearby buildings would obscure his creation and when the path into the cultural core of the county would resemble a Habitrail.

Had he known, I think he would put beauty such as Justice, Strength and Authority, and Law on the ground at the entrance of the courthouse where all can enjoy.

Today, we have the chance to help his vision.

Todd Franko is editor of The Vindicator. He likes e-mails about stories and our newspaper. E-mail him at tfranko@vindy.com. He blogs, too, on vindy.com.