Benjamin Marshall was born on the Southside of Chicago on May 5,1874. A self-taught architect, his elegant buildings include the Drake and Blackstone hotels, the South Shore Country Club (now South Shore Cultural Center), the Edgewater Beach Hotel (now demolished), and luxury apartments on East Lake Shore Drive. But alongside his talent for design, Marshall was also known for his colorful personality that attracted royalty, writers, artists and countless celebrities to his lavish parties.
To celebrate Marshall’s 150th birthday anniversary, we re-created the glamour and dazzle of the Jazz Age with a music program featuring his music by Très Belle Soprano Trio accompanied by pianist Paul Dykstra. Operatic sopranos Marisa Buchheit, Kimberly Jones, and Kirsten Leslie enjoy successful solo careers that have taken them from Carnegie Hall to the Miss America stage to La Scala Opera House in Milan.
A brief introduction by Jane Lepauw, founder of the Benjamin Marshall Society, set the mood for this jazz-hot evening, and a lighted birthday cake added more fun to the celebration.