Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago
(from Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, used w/o permission)
"Colleen Moore
"Silent film star Colleen Moore was always fascinated by dolls and doll houses. She owned several elaborate doll houses as a child, but later in life her father, Charles Morrison, suggested that she should pursue her passion for miniatures and doll houses by creating the 'doll house' of her dreams. Her position as one of the most popular actresses in Hollywood gave her the resources to produce a miniature home of fantastic proportions. Beginning in 1928, Moore enlisted the help of many talented professionals to help her realize her vision.
"Creating the Fairy Castle
"Horace Jackson, an architect and set designer who worked for First National Studios, created the floor plan and layout of the castle with the basic idea that 'the architecture must have no sense of reality. We must invent a structure that is everybody's conception of an enchanted castle.'
"Moore also enlisted the help of art director and interior designer Harold Grieve. Grieve had designed the interiors for Moore's actual mansion, so he was a natural to create the interiors of her fantasy castle. ..."
(from Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, used w/o permission)
That color photo shows the great hall of the Fairy Castle. The stairs have no railings. That isn't a design oversight or construction shortcut. The people in the castle are fairies, and have wings. That helps with balance - and probably makes them less afraid of heights than we would be.
The great hall scene is part of a virtual tour that's a couple clicks away from the Colleen Moore page I linked to. There are 12 photos on the tour - plus one at the intro page.
I saw the Fairy Castle itself once, years ago. It's an impressive piece of miniature art and sculpture.
It may seem like an odd sort of thing to find in the Museum of Science and Industry: but I suppose one justification would be that it represents the sort of fine detail work that goes into making small models. Lots of small models.
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