The Justice Staircase in the Probate Courthouse at 1 West Lakeside Ave, in downtown Cleveland Ohio, is the most gorgeous staircase I've ever photographed. I don't remember exactly how I 'discovered' this staircase, but it was probably on a facebook post which I admired and saved away for future travel. I first visited this site on October 1, 2019, when I made the photographs below.
The first photo below shows the stained glass window that has named this staircase. It depicts Justice, or Themis, the wife of the Greek god Zeus, with an open book in her hands, and seen without covered eyes, to denote, as one author has suggested, that justice should see not only the letter but also the spirit of the law. Her right hand is covered in mail, with the left uncovered, symbolizing the New Dispensation of justice tempered by mercy. Justice is surrounded by the tablets of the Ten Commandments, while the city in an orb above the figure, representing the one coming down from heaven to bring about perfect justice and freedom in St. John’s vision, descends through the order of the created universe. Around the other edge of the window are inscribed the names of American and English jurists who have impacted the development of the law.
Backing away, my very poor photo of the staircase with the window behind it is shown in the 2nd photo below.
But the photos that make me proud from that day are the ones below. The 1st is good, but rather static, the 2nd is my favorite since the most interesting points are both at a rule-of-thirds intersection, and the 3rd photo below, taken from half-way up the stairs, is just a total mess.
OK, so that 2nd photo above was a total favorite (it still hangs in my living room) and won a prize in a camera club competition, but I had a chance to go back to Cleveland in 2026, so decided to return to this spot for better photos. The three photos below better show the stained-glass window and its environment in the staircase you see when you approach the staircase.
After these establishing shots, I photographed from my favorite viewpoint that I hoped would work again and be improved, in the 1st photo below.
Actually, it's barely different at all. I guess I accomplished what I was capable of during the first trip.
But this time, I went a little further to explore other interesting viewpoints, and came up with these:
I particularly like the second one, which I call "Where Stone Flows".
