The Forgotten Seal and Slogan of the City of Detroit – This is Its Meaning

There are many well known and iconic images of Detroit from the city's skyline to the Joe Lewis Fist and the Spirit of Detroit. Much less known, almost forgotten to history perhaps, are the city's seal and slogan.

The seal and slogan can actually be seen when one visits the Spirt of Detroit at the Coleman Young Municipal Center.

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Look as the masonry surrounded the Spirt and you will see two seals. The one of the lower left is the Seal of the City of Detroit while the one on the upper right is the Wayne County seal.

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This is the Official and Rarely Seen and Used Seal of the City of Detroit

From the city of Detroit's style guide, here's what that seal looks like:

The Meaning of the Detroit City Seal

If you've never really seen that city seal, it's by design. The city's style guide specifies the limited use of the seal:

The Seal should not be used in place of the city logo. Use of the City seal should be reserved for City Council and for official documents such as proclamations and
executive correspondence.

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So what exactly does the seal depict? There are two female figures. One looks down and to the left at a burned city, a reference to the city's Fire of 1805. The other points to the right of the city rebuilt. There are also two Latin mottos Speramus Meliora and Resurget Cineribus. Both also reference the 1805 fire: We hope for better things and It will rise from the ashes.