Photos taken in the old Kresge Court of the DIA

[Henry Whalley]

Please post photos taken in Kresge Court before it was redesigned in shopping-mall style. The fools responsible for ruining it should have been flogged, flayed, or defenestrated through the glass ceiling.

If any of the old denizens have photos that were taken there, please share them.

[Jimaz]

Why is it that I even know what "defenestrated" means?

— from the junkyard of my mind.

[Henry Whalley]

Why is it that I even know what "defenestrated" means?

Coupla things: The Defenestration of Prague ruffled Hapsburg feathers and precipitated The Thirty Years War; and in a novel Kurt Vonnegut suggested defenestrating ungrateful children. The museum authorities who ruined Kresge Court were like ungrateful children.

[Lowell]

My favorite image of the old Kresge Court is this Bill Rauhauser classic. It shows the wrought iron chairs and glass top tables. Smoking was regrettably allowed back then yellowing the big parachute sun canopy that hung below the glass roof. The flagstone floor was another feature.


https://www.dia.org/art/collection/o...te-arts-101772

[Zacha341]

^^^ I still remember those hard black metal chairs. As seen in the upper photo!

[Henry Whalley]

The gestalt was continental. Now it's shopping mall. The floor tiles are either Burger King.

Also added around the time was that long hideous black corridor with colored lights -- another open and shut case for defenestration.

[Lowell]

The gestalt was continental. Now it's shopping mall. The floor tiles are either Burger King.

Also added around the time was that long hideous black corridor with colored lights -- another open and shut case for defenestration.

For better or worse it has moved with the times and for my purposes I like it. There are comfortable chairs more suited for casual gatherings. There is free broadband wifi making it attractive to types like me, and certainly those younger, who enjoy a pleasant coffeehouse atmosphere to tap and swipe on our digital devices from the comfort of a lounge chair--something I enjoyed just about every Friday pre-pandemic when I held "Kresge Court". For those who like to sit and read there is a nice selection of recent big art books free to read.

And if you miss the old wrought iron chairs and glass top tables, there is section of them on the east end of the court. The menu and coffee are far better than back then, the food is delivered, plus there is wine and spirits and thankfully no cigarette smoke. I like what it was back then; I like what it is now.

[Kathleen]

The open air Kresge Court was before my time since the addition of the glass roof was done in the early 60s when the wings were added to expand the museum. While it must have been quite nice to sit outdoors on a nice summer day, the current state of the Court allows full use on every day that the museum is open. I second Lowell in saying that one can hang with friends, hear some music, eat and drink, sit and read, and more...all while being surrounded with the beauty and art of Kresge Court. I think it's a great use of the space within the DIA itself.

Found this photo that appears in books about the DIA...