Restoration of Oakland County's Lady Justice nearly complete

Thursday, March 12, 2009 | Source: metromode

Oakland County's oldest employee is getting ready to come back from disability.

This employee is the historic Lady Justice statue in downtown Pontiac. The disability is more than a century of wear and tear that caused the sculpture to begin crumbling last year. But a winter's worth of restoration is expected to bring the statue back to a place of prominence by May.

"She is truly a symbol of Oakland County government," says Steven Sanford, an Oakland County project coordinator for facilities engineering. "We think it was important to preserve that symbol of justice in Oakland County government."

The county bought the 9-foot-tall statue in 1904 from W.H. Mullins, a Salem, Ohio-based company that manufactured statues. She stood guard in front of the old Oakland County Courthouse until 1962, when the building was demolished. After spending the next two decades in storage, she was returned to the plaza in front of the new courthouse.

Lady Justice continued her vigil there until last year, when a storm tore loose her scales and cracked her arm. She was taken to the Fine Arts Sculpture Center in Clarkston to undergo a $40,900 restoration. A century of life deteriorated her pressed zinc frame to the point that it must now be taken away from the harsh Michigan elements.

"She's just too fragile to be outside in the elements anymore," Sanford says.

He expects she will be put inside the courthouse. A new bronze copy of the statue will replace Lady Justice at the courthouse's south plaza. Both statues are expected to be installed in early May.

Oakland County is currently trying to raise money to restore the statue and to buy a new one. For information, contact Penny Knope at knopep@oakgov.com or call (248) 858-1208.

Source: Steven Sanford, project coordinator for facilities engineering at Oakland County
Writer: Jon Zemke