A Dynamic Tension

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Michigan Square Building, Diana Court.

Image courtesy of The Ryerson & Burnham ArchivesLinks to an external site..

"The greatness of the Diana Court space was its dynamic tension: the sound of water, the dropping away of various levels, the excitement of the daring stairways, the richness, clarity, movement, and stability."

-- John W. Stamper (1985)

ADDRESSING STAMPER'S RECEPTION:

Stamper's testament to the appeal of the Diana Court speaks of the siren-esc nature of the Diana Court's presence within the Michigan Square Building. He comments that the Diana Court could be approached through entrances of the Michigan Square Building on three sides of the building, obviusoulty designed to draw people in and towards the shops surrounding the Diana Court. In the new age of modernism, the Michigan Square Building became a commercial beacon, even in the Great Depression, through careful design and planning by Holabird & Root.

We are once again drawn to the Chicago Tribune's statement that the Diana Fountain(and therefore the Diana Court) is a symbol of art and commerce in Stamper's discussion. His reflection on the dynamic tension of the Diana Court reflects on its status as an artistic symbol, being viewed as such years after the building's demolition, attests to it glamorous appeal. Stamper's reception of the Michigan Square Building is still very much in line with the reception of the first day the Diana Fountain was revealed to the public by the Chicago Tribune through his discussion on the economic planning and success if the building and on the appeal of the Diana Court

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Diana Unites Art and Trade Amid Applause. (1930, Nov 07).

Chicago Daily Tribune (1923-1963) Retrieved from http://turing.library.northwestern.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.turing.library.northwestern.edu/docview/181187444?accountid=12861 

Stamper, J. W. (1985).

The architecture, urbanism, and economics of Chicago's North Michigan Avenue, 1830-1930.

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