Like you I have been riding motorcycles the past 60 plus years of my life and have had the opportunity to ride trailing and leading link front ends but never a hardtail equipped springer.
The Springer-Fork on this particular bike was a store bought unit very similar to what I had envisioned design wise. It featured twin large diameter progressively wound variable rate spring units under the middle tree and twin smaller straight wound springs above. It would simply pogo / bounce over small bumps and pavement slab joints with lots of flexing and vibration that could be felt through to the bars and I didn’t feel the need or desire to ride off the curb with these forks.
By comparison the downhill hydraulic unit is buttery smooth and soaks up big hits and small bumps equally well and they seem super stiff which gives me confidence and helps you maintain complete control. Another big plus is being much lighter.
So in the end my choice for a show bike without question would be the Springer-Front fork! It’s physical appearance is so iconic and timeless. Truly a thing of beauty.