Children growing up in West Columbus have always climbed the concrete alphabet letters once found at Westland Mall, and later at Westgate Park. However, for more than two decades, kids were deprived of enjoying the letter ‘B,” after it was destroyed by a runaway car in the 1980s.

When the open-air mall opened in 1969 it featured many art installations by Cleveland artist Clarence E. Van Duzer. The shopping center was built around one of its first anchor stores, Lazarus, the first business onsite in the form of a free-standing building seven years earlier.

Westland Mall continued to expand and in 1982, the decision was made to enclose the shopping center. In result, many installations were relocated, including the concrete letters. The letters A, B & C were moved from the entrance to Lazarus to Westgate Park and continued to be a touchstone for the community.

One can imagine the confusion felt by visitors who looked upon the letters and wondered why there’s only an ‘A, and ‘C.’ Folks would often wonder what ever happened to the missing ‘B.’

In 2013, members of the Westgate Neighbor Association worked in effort to resurrect the lost ‘B.” The restoration was approved by city officials and the two year project began underway. It took two years of planning to create a 4,000 pound replica of the lost letter.

“We have a responsibility to help take care of and restore things for the young kids growing up in the neighborhood, who should have the same chance to play in the park we had,” said Tom Carrier, a resident and one of the project leaders, in an interview with the Westside Messenger.

Earlier this year, the group executed its designs and successfully installed the piece on the playground. Volunteers also painted the letters bright colors, which made the work pop against the bright green backdrop of the park’s grassy area.

The community came out in droves for a ribbon cutting ceremony Sept. 19 to celebrate the letter’s return. To the outsider, the resurrection of the letter ‘B’ may seem trivial, but for many residents of West Columbus, these letters are the center of the universe – they connect parents and children to a sense of timelessness.

Sean V. Lehosit is a freelance journalist and local history writer. He is the author of Images of America: West Columbus, which was released earlier this year by Arcadia Publishing.