Benjamin H. Marshall (1874-1944)

Benjamin H. Marshall was a major influence in the architectural history of modern Chicago. Marshall created traditionally detailed buildings that functioned within modern society, ingeniously juxtaposing, conservative and modern features.

Self-taught architect extraordinaire, Marshall became a full-fledged partner at the architectural firm of Marble & Wilson when he was only 19. The pioneer of East Lake Shore Drive including the Drake Hotel, he was obstinate in his vision of a greater urban plan that took its cue from Burnham’s conservation of the lakefront. Marshall fundamentally defined the new urban Chicago between his Blackstone Hotel on south Michigan Avenue and East Lake Shore Drive. While building grand hotels, residences, theaters, even factory plants mostly in Chicago, he built and designed from New York to Los Angeles.

His life was notoriously colorful, even tragic, having been the architect of the ill-famed Iroquois Theater where in 1903, where over 600 people perished in one of the worst fires in American history. Marshall was understandably haunted by this tragedy for the rest of his life and many of his hotels, apartment buildings, even his own studio/home in Wilmette were constructed with poured cement. This historic event closed theaters for months not only across the country, but throughout Europe and was the motivating factor of new public building regulations whereby all doors in public buildings were to open outwards.

With his "Great Gatsby" personality, extravagant lifestyle, and his numerous theaters, Marshall's entourage included countless celebrities. Throwing lavish parties at his Wilmette studio/home overlooking Lake Michigan, his guest-list included socialites, royalty, and film and theatre stars such as, Rudolph Valentino, the Ziegfeld Folly Girls, Ethel Barrymore, Houdini, Fred and Adele Astaire, Charlie Chaplin, and many others. Find out more about the “maker” and "shaker" of Chicago and his architectural genius.