Diana Court, The Diana Fountain.

Image courtesy of thechicagoloop.orgLinks to an external site., Gregory H. Jenkins

"[The Vassar House] is ideal for tea and has become popular among visitors who come to view Carl Milles' famous statue, "Fountain of Diana", in the Diana Court, the beautiful lobby of the Michigan Square Building."

 -- John Drury (1931) 

ADDRESSING DRURY'S RECEPTION:

Though not explicitly stated, the growing popularity of the Vassar House in the Michigan Square Building illuminates the Diana Court's commercial purpose, drawing people to the building for art and commerce. He speaks with pride about the Vassar House and its location on the posh Michigan Avenue and its commercial success in the Michigan Square Building. It is apparent from Drury's statement that without the artistic appeal of the Diana Fountain the Vassar House would not have persisted the way it did as a "one of the major restaurants on the [North Michigan] Avenue." This fact draws on the Chicago Tribune's statement from the year before that the Diana Fountain was a symbol of art and commerce.

Between the time the Diana Fountain was unveiled and Drury discussed the Vassar House, it is apparent that the Diana Fountain continued as a symbol of art and commerce by drawing people inside the Michigan Square Building to see it, therefore drawing them into a commercial center filled with shops, restaurants, and bakeries. However, today the Diana Fountain holds no commercial appeal because it is situated within an outside garden court on the Univeriy of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign campus.

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 

Drury, J. (1931).

Dining in Chicago. New York: The John Day Company.