Although many might think that the Law Quad appears a near perfect imitation of the Gothic grounds of many a British college, its architectural detail is actually much more various than it seems at first. According to the architects who designed and built the Law Quad – i.e., the New York firm of Weller, York, and Sawyer – “[a]s long as the result had an apparent unity and completeness, each building, in fact each architectural element could be from a different period. If variation in detail were controlled by a consistency in materials used, the subtle variety of architectural ornament could be all the more delightful and amusing.” Indeed, take look at the northwest corner of the Quad, and you will find a row of columns connecting arches that on closer examination does not quite fit the largely Gothic style that predominates. A little amusement perhaps to the discerning eye? Or something to show that Michigan is “not a perfect period piece a copy of an English college” (as the architects themselves put it) – to show that Michigan is steeped in the past and yet unique.

Architect: Weller, York, and Sawyer

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