Artwork Detail

This life-size bronze figure depicts prominent Los Angeles citizen Joseph Scott (1867-1958). Scott, so well recognized in the civic affairs of Los Angeles, was given the title of “Mr. Los Angeles.” He is portrayed at about age 60, in an oratory stance, with right arm extended. The statue is located at the northeast corner of the courthouse facing Grand Avenue. Scott, a native of England, left his homeland at age 22 because of religious discrimination, and settled briefly on the East Coast. After moving to Los Angeles, he studied law and was admitted to the bar. As a community leader, Scott was a member of many organizations including the Los Angeles School Board and Chamber of Commerce, and was a founder of the Southwest Museum, to name a few. He was also a champion of his religious faith and was involved in Catholic activities, receiving recognition for his services to numerous Catholic organizations. In 1962, Carl Romanelli was commissioned by admirers of Scott to execute a statue. A fundraiser was held, but sufficient monies were not raised, and Romanelli never completed the plaster mold of the full-scale clay model he designed. Another sculptor Cataldo Papaleo, who altered some of Romanelli’s design, did the final casting. At the time of the unveiling in 1967, Romanelli declined to sign the work because of the changes that were made, and therefore his name appears only on the granite base he designed.

Carlo Romanelli was a Los Angeles sculptor in the first half of the 20th Century. His works can be seen at St. Michael's Church, Los Angeles; St. Vincent de Paul, Los Angeles; and Temple Shaarei Tikvah, Arcadia. His son, Carl Romanelli, also a sculptor, created the Joseph Scott statue, at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles, as well as a likeness of Elvis Presley which resides outside the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel.