Lightness of Spirit

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Michigan Square Building, Diana Court. 

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

"used to step into [the Michigan Square Building] sometimes on my walk home from work for no other reason than because I thought it had a glamorous lightness of spirit. And so it did."

-- Arthur M. Martin (2001)

ADDRESSING MARTIN'S RECEPTION:

Martin's review of Lowe's Lost Chicago is a modern testament of the nostalgia felt over the loss of the architectural masterpiece of the Michigan Square Avenue and its Diana Court. Like many others, Martin was drawn into the building by the Diana Court and the siren call of the Diana Fountain. This account is a testament to the power the Diana Court had over people during its tenure at the Michigan Square Building. His reflection of the Michigan Square Building is a result of seeing an image of the building in Lost Chicago, which invoked sad reflections on how quickly Chicago has been ready to get rid of the old to make way for the new, a crime that has destroyed many architectural beauties within Chicago.

Martin's nostalgic reflection of the Michigan Square Building and Diana Court tells that despite its demolition, the Michigan Square Building is still a beloved part of Chicago's architectural history.  Despite this, the Chicago Tribune's statement of the Diana Fountain as a symbol of commerce has vanished under Martin's reception. He remembers the art and beauty of the Diana Court, not the shops or restaurants. This is true for many modern reflections of the Michigan Square Building. The Diana Fountainand Miller's Diana Panels are remnants of a ghost whose history and purpose fades more and more as time passes.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lowe, D. (2010).

Lost Chicago. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Martin, A. (2001).

Lost Chicago (Book Review). Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society (1998-), 94(4), 452-454.

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