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Detroit's Belle Isle Aquarium

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Detroit's Belle Isle Aquarium Detroit’s Belle Isle Aquarium: An Idiosyncrasy of Identity, Style, Modernity, and Spectacle A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Fine Arts of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts Eric M. Birkle May 2019 © 2019 Eric M. Birkle. All Rights Reserved. 2 This thesis titled Detroit’s Belle Isle Aquarium: An Idiosyncrasy of Identity, Style, Modernity, and Spectacle by ERIC M. BIRKLE has been approved for the School of Art + Design and the College of Fine Arts by Samuel T. Dodd Lecturer of Art History Matthew R. Shaftel Dean, College of Fine Arts 3 Abstract BIRKLE, ERIC M., M.A., May 2019, Art History Detroit’s Belle Isle Aquarium: An Idiosyncrasy of Identity, Style, Modernity, and Spectacle Director of Thesis: Samuel T. Dodd Inspired by the city of Detroit’s substantial redevelopment in recent years – particularly the State of Michigan’s capital investments in Belle Isle Park, the Detroit Zoo’s proposal for a new aquarium on the downtown riverfront, and the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy’s plans to establish West Riverfront Park – this thesis examines the cyclical civic interest in the design of public parks and the construction of communal spaces within them through the case study of the Belle Isle Aquarium, completed in 1904. Each chapter functions as an arterial avenue within a theoretical and empirical framework which begins with a consideration of the nuanced circumstances surrounding the aquarium’s commissioning, including how design requirements set forth by the Detroit Parks and Boulevards Commission combined with the European study of architect Albert Kahn to produce an aesthetic which fuses grotesque, Auricular, and Mannerist elements. Also investigated is the way in which aquatic design and international exposition culture coalesced to imbue Detroit with connections to specific histories and influenced the aquarium’s embodiment of grandiosity, mystery, beauty, and spectacle. Later, the way in which the aquarium integrates museological and educatory practices to effectively train its visitors to become more civilized, worldly, and – most indeterminately – modern, is examined, thus returning the dialog to the backdrop of the contemporary. 4 Dedication To my grandmother Sylvia, an avid educator and a native of Detroit who cherished the city despite its shortcomings. 5 Acknowledgments This thesis is, for me, the thrilling result of a developmental journey through intense passion and frequent vexation. Producing it was not a wholly independent endeavor; rather, it was actuated and fostered by the network of people and institutions into which I entered via Ohio University. I envision it as a contribution to the free and collective knowledge essential to humanity and would thus like to thank my committee members (Sam Dodd, Charles Buchanan, and Marion Lee) not only for their guidance through this entire two-year process, but, more importantly, for their belief in me and the truths I aim to reveal through my research. Especially directive was Sam’s mentorship, which I know will be impactful for years to come. To that end, I would also like to thank my art history cohort for their unwavering support and recurring distractions, particularly Sarah Grabner, Candace Bembenick, and Rachel Harper. Never could I have imagined that the pursuance of graduate school would involve forming such incredible friendships, but they have certainly made me a better person and a more cultured art historian. Yet, for the inception of that interest I must thank my parents, Kurt and Raelene Birkle, who fostered my scholarly mentality from a young age and always encouraged engagement with the arts. Without them I would not be here to introduce this scholarship to the world, and I only hope that it will be received with as much love as I have instilled in it. 6 Table of Contents Page Abstract ............................................................................................................................... 3 Dedication ........................................................................................................................... 4 Acknowledgments............................................................................................................... 5 List of Figures ..................................................................................................................... 7 Preface: Promulgating Importance ................................................................................... 10 Chapter 1: Laying Foundations ......................................................................................... 14 Securing a Protean Island............................................................................................ 14 Forming a World-Class Park ...................................................................................... 19 Commissioning an Aquarium ..................................................................................... 26 Chapter 2: Ideating Thalassicism ...................................................................................... 32 Conceiving a Portal ..................................................................................................... 32 Revering the Grotto..................................................................................................... 40 Chapter 3: Surveying Prototypes ...................................................................................... 51 Examining Aquariums ................................................................................................ 51 Looking to International Expositions.......................................................................... 60 Chapter 4: Edifying Detroit .............................................................................................. 70 Embodying Eclecticism and City Beautiful ................................................................ 70 Creating a Museological Space ................................................................................... 76 Epilogue: Anticipating the Future ..................................................................................... 86 Figures............................................................................................................................... 90 Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 131 Appendix: Timeline of Albert Kahn’s Formative Tour of Europe, 1891 ....................... 139 7 List of Figures Page Figure 1. Jacques Nicolas Bellin, La Rivière du Détroit depuis le Lac Sainte Claire jusqu’au Lac Erie / Plan du Fort du Détroit, 1764 .......................................................... 90 Figure 2. Frederick Law Olmstead, Diagram of Belle Isle Showing Rigolettes and “The Fair Ground” (at A), 1882 ................................................................................................. 91 Figure 3. Map and Satellite Image of Belle Isle Showing a Concentration of Development at its Western End, the Location of the Belle Isle Aquarium, and Olmstead’s Rigolettes, 2019................................................................................................................................... 92 Figure 4. Albert Kahn and George D. Mason, Main Floor Plan of the Aquarium & Horticultural Building, Belle Isle Park, Detroit, Mich., 1900 .......................................... 93 Figure 5. Giovanni Trognon, Rainwater Wellhead in the Cloister of Trinity at the Monastery of Santa Maria dei Frari, Venice, Italy, ca. 1712 ............................................ 94 Figure 6. Albert Kahn, Well in Bologna in Court of Palazzo Bevilacqua [Ariosti], 1891, Graphite on paper, University of Michigan Museum Art ................................................. 95 Figure 7. Michele Sanmicheli, Palazzo Bevilacqua, Verona, Italy, 1532 ........................ 96 Figure 8. R. Robertson & Co., Terra Cotta Portal of the Belle Isle Aquarium, 1901 ....... 97 Figure 9. Portion of: Albert Kahn and George D. Mason, Elevation of (Horticultural Building) Pavilion / Section Thro’ (Horticultural Building) Palm House and Aquarium / Side Elevation (of Aquarium) / North Entrance to Aquarium, Belle Isle Park, Detroit, Mich., 1900 ....................................................................................................................... 98 Figure 10. Portion of: Albert Kahn and George D. Mason, Entrance & Dome of Horticultural Building, Belle Isle Park, Detroit, Mich., 1900 .......................................... 99 Figure 11. Rainwater Wellhead in the Cloister of the Church of San Lorenzo, Venice, Italy, ca. 1580 .................................................................................................................. 100 Figure 12. Red curtain motif adorned with dolphins and fantastical animals (from a wall to the left of the entrance in a house in the Via Stabia), ca. 79 CE ................................ 101 Figure 13. Jean LePautre, design for Triumph of Neptune (from the series Classical Uprights), 1659 ............................................................................................................... 102 Figure 14. Unidentified artist, Grotesque Faces, 1st century CE, Fresco, Domus Aurea, Rome, Italy ...................................................................................................................... 103 Figure 15. Roman Emperor Hadrian, Canopus and Serapeum at Hadrian’s Villa, Tivoli,
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