“The iconic Spirit of Progress statue, beacon of what is now One River Place Condominium Association in River North, has been returned to her perch on the Chicago skyline after an extensive repair and restoration.
“The Board and Homeowners of One River Place Condominium Association (formerly the Montgomery Ward & Company Administration building) located at 758 N. Larrabee Street are pleased to announce the successful reinstallation of the iconic statue crowning our building: Diana, The Spirit of Progress.
“Over the last 9 months the statue has undergone an extensive inspection, cleaning, and restoration and has now reassumed her place of honor as a beacon of the Chicago skyline. Final masonry work on the pedestal and refinishing will occur to give Diana a bright brass finish, and additional lighting will be installed to highlight this beacon of the skyline. This work and scaffolding removal are expected to occur before year-end 2025.
“The Statue, the Spirit of Progress (also referred to as Diana or the Goddess of the Hunt) was installed in its present location on the former Montgomery Ward Administration Building by Montgomery Ward & Company in 1929, and is an updated version of the bronze statue that topped the former Montgomery Ward office at 2 N. Michigan Avenue (titled ‘Progress Lighting the Way for Commerce’). That statue was atop the 2 N. Michigan building until 1947 and itself was created and patterned after the statue on top of the Agriculture Building at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
“The Spirit of Progress is a female figure poised on her left foot, holding a torch high in her right hand and a caduceus, an ancient Greek symbol of commerce, in the other, while she leans forward into the wind in a motion of forward progress. ‘Spirit of Progress’ depicting the Roman goddess Diana was inspired by the work of the noted artist Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907), and his ‘Diana’ sculpture atop the Agriculture Building at the Columbian Exposition of 1893.
“The Montgomery Ward Administration Building was constructed in 1927-1928, and the statue was added in 1929. Building was converted to condominiums in 2003, and is currently known as One River Place Condominium Association” (Michael Goldwater, President, One River Place Condominium Association)
For more information:
- Wikipedia article about the Montgomery Ward complex
- Chicagology article -good overview and with detailed story
- Smithsonian Art Catalog article
- National Register of Historic Places registration
- River North Residents Association article about removal