Response 3

I chose a detail from outside of the entrance of Mosher-Jordan Hall on The Hill. Mosher-Jordan Hall is a large dorm building that appears to have been built in a late-Gothic imitation style which communicates to the viewer that the building is grand and strong, which in turn communicates that the University of Michigan is also grand and strong.  The detail is an element that is a carved molding on the base of the building right next to the door that says “A. D. 1930.” This detail is a submissive detail since it is an inset and it is not a visible detail that first attracts the viewer’s eye. The detail communicates to the viewer the year that the building was built but it also communicates a style that the architect was trying to impress on the viewer. Without even looking at the rest of the building, the viewer can tell that the building was built in a Gothic or Medieval style especially because of the font of the date. The date is also heavily carved into a block of limestone which gives the building a heavy, strong, and fortified look. Since the detail is at the very bottom of the building and is a carved on a heavy block that is part of the foundation, it shows that Mosher-Jordan Hall was built using solid construction with load bearing walls.