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The City of Mountlake Terrace has relocated the Mother Justice sculpture a few feet from its original location as part of ongoing and recently completed construction projects near the Police Department and Veterans Memorial Park.
The sculpture was originally removed in 2020 to accommodate construction of the new Mountlake Terrace Police Department building, which was completed in 2021. It was not returned to its former spot due to anticipated construction for the Veterans Memorial Park Trail and the police generator projects, according to MLT Recreation and Parks Director Jeff Betz.
“This has allowed us to keep the sculpture clear of the construction site,” he said. “The new site was selected by the [MLT] Arts Commission.”
Mother Justice welcomes “all with open arms to the police department,” said Betz. The sculpture was created in 1993 as part of Mountlake Terrace’s “1% for the Arts” ordinance, which requires that 1% of the cost of any public facility or park construction be dedicated to public art.
The artwork was commissioned during construction of the original police facility in the early 1990s. As part of a public selection process, the Arts Commission reviewed multiple proposals and selected the piece by Seattle artist Phillip Levine. Levine has more the 30 sculptures commissioned throughout the Greater Seattle Area.
Betz said the relocation ensures the sculpture remains accessible to the public while allowing nearby infrastructure improvements to be completed. Final work on the Veterans Memorial Park Trail project is expected to continue over the next few months.
Is the trail connecting 58th to the light rail open yet? If not, any news on when that will be? I thought it was opening in December.
Hi Thomas. Jeff Betz from Parks and Recreation told me that the trail should be finished in the spring, but there is no definite date yet. I will keep you posted if I get any updates.
Thanks!