Lorch Column
Unknown
1930; Steel, Marble; Architectural Artifact
North Campus; North side of Art & Architecture building
Acquired through the efforts of Emil Lorch. The Corinthian column was made for the Home Office Building of the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company of Newark, NJ, but was never installed on the building. Gift of Colonel William Starrett (class of 1897E) of New York. The truncated column was originally installed in the courtyard of Lorch Hall (the original home of the College of Architecture; see the second thumbnail). In 2007, the column was moved to North Campus, mounted on a tall base, with a steel element inserted to raise the column to what would have been its original height had it been installed on a building (photo on right). This was done as part of the centennial celebration of the founding of the department that became the Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning. It has informally been referred to as the Lorch Column, in honor of Emil Lorch, the first dean of the college and the person responsible for obtaining the object.