Justice Garden Path
Lorna Jordan and Paul Sorey
Maleng Regional Justice Center
A lush, living artwork stokes the humanity of all who pass through it.
Outside the Maleng Regional Justice Center, two intertwining paths lead toward the building’s front entrance through a series of trees, lush gardens, and a large pergola. A living artwork, Lorna Jordan and Paul Sorey’s Justice Garden Path connects the Justice Center to the community beyond its doors.
“The garden has the power to heal, to ease contradictions, and to restore our humanity in ways that we ourselves cannot.” – Lorna Jordan and Paul Sorey
Each of the garden’s two braided paths carry a distinct meaning. The brick path symbolizes the refined aspects of human nature while the flagstone path represents the wilder side. They converge in a series of three circular garden spaces bursting with color, texture, and fragrance. Designed to offer interest in all four seasons, the gardens feature shrubs such as hydrangea, honeysuckle, and rose alongside Chanticleer pear and Raywood Ash trees, a variety of herbs, and other perennials. With 32 columns and 14 vaulted tops, the ring-shaped pergola recalls the ceilings of Gothic architecture. Vines cover its steel pipe elements, inspired by the foliage of forest canopies.
Based in Seattle, Jordan (1954–2021) created artworks that blurred the boundaries between sculpture, theater, media, architecture, and ecology. Her public installations often use sustainable materials and many of her projects enhance watersheds, functioning as a form of green architecture. Her other 4Culture projects include Waterworks Gardens at the South Treatment Plant in Renton, WA. Also based in Seattle, Sorey is a public artist with more than a dozen works in Western Washington, including several 4Culture projects.
About the Location
Maleng Regional Justice Center
Read more about the art and artists at Maleng Regional Justice Center. More >