Angels have taken
their rightful place
on new courts building
By Bob Ray Sanders
bobray@star-telegram.com
The other day I stood in the morning shadow of Tarrant County’s newest courthouse and pleaded guilty.
As I looked at the exterior of the still-not-completed Civil Courts Building, with the scales of justice prominently in view, I had to take responsibility for my part in what some considered a serious offense just a few years ago.
I did so without remorse. After all, I had angels looking down on me.
The new courts building, under construction at 100 N. Calhoun St., will replace the civil courts structure that was built in 1958 as an annex to the historic Tarrant County Courthouse, a project that included demolishing the west portal of the iconic 1895 building.
The old Civil Courts Building would eventually become known as the ugliest construction in town, especially after a painted mock exterior was added in the 1980s.
After passage of a bond issue to build a new campus to house civil courts, Tarrant County commissioners decided in 2007 that the old building would be razed and the beloved historic courthouse would be restored to its original design with a reconstructed west portal.
What most officials didn’t realize, or didn’t remember, at the time was that there were four giant sculptures — four-story-tall “Angels of Justice” — attached to the old building, two each on the east and west sides. Each identical figure, with wings stretched skyward, held the scales of justice.
As a child, I saw those angels as the very symbol of justice, even in a day when equal opportunity, including in the courthouse, was elusive to many residents of Tarrant County.
Once the possible destruction of these sculptures was called to the attention of county officials through this column and readers raised their concerns, there was a concerted effort to save the angels.
Read the rest of the column here: http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/07/08 ... rylink=cpy
