ISU Memorial Union – North Entrance

Iowa State University Memorial Union, here we come. We’re gazing upon the north entrance of this classical-style building, with The Fountain of the Four Seasons nearby. Concerning the fountain, the ISU website states:

The fountain was a gift from the 1937 VEISHEA Committee. In 1942, Christian Petersen, a Danish sculptor who became Iowa State’s artist-in-residence, added four sculptures to represent the four seasons. The east sculpture represents spring with the planting of corn; south - summer, sheltering a young plant; west - fall, holding the harvest; and north - winter, nursing a child.

If you look upwards before you walk through the Union's north doorway, you’ll see this:

Once inside the north entry, you must walk across or around this Zodiac in the floor……

This ISU website states:

Architect/designer W.T. Proudfoot chose to incorporate the ancient symbols of the zodiac into the north entry floor, a classic mythology in a classic-style building. In the 20's, the zodiac was not as well known as it is now. Proudfoot planned for intentional wearing away of the bronze forms by placing them above the surface of the floor - to be sculpted further by building users until, eventually, they would be the same level as the floor. We know that by 1929, students had decided that if you stepped on the zodiac, you'd flunk your next test, and now most students, hedging their bets, walk around. If you accidently invoke the curse, you can throw a coin in the fountain to take it away.

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There’s much more to come from the ISU Memorial Union……stay tuned.

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