Michigan Square Building, Diana Court.
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CLASSICAL ELEMENTS
The Diana Court:
At its center was the Diana Fountain, whose watery song drew l visitors and clients closer. Greco-Roman pillars surrounded the Diana Fountain and encompassed the lobby area, drawing people further towards the Diana Fountain. Above the gallery level of the lobby, sandblasted panels displayed images of the goddess Diana, their backlighting illuminating the various visages.
The columns surrounding the Diana Court were spherical, whereas pillars elsewhere in the building were rectangular. Archival images show that the Diana Court columns were also decorated, others were not. Rounded/non-rectangular columns were commonplace in Greco-Roman temples and can also be seen in various art deco and Classical influenced architecture in Chicago.
The preference for geometric decoration also stems from Greco-Roman influences in architecture and was reflected in various components in the Diana Court.
Probably the clearest indicator of classical elements in the Michigan Square Building was the Diana Fountain. Milles designed the fountain with a clear art deco style and it displays many Classical influences, as other art deco works do.
Diana holds a bow in her hand - a clear symbol as her status as goddess of the hunt. Beneath the goddess on the base of the fountain are four nymphs, one being assaulted by a satyr, a centaur chasing eight boars, and a unicorn. In the ground-level water basin, four nymphs are grouped into pairs and a third pair of satyrs "leers" at the nymphs.
The Diana Court was named after the installation of Milles' Diana Fountain.
The elegance of the Diana Court is still mourned by those who remember it, as it "was the type of architecture that let you know you were on North Michigan Avenue and nowhere else" (Kamin, 8).
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