Manuscript
The Death Of A Mansion
| An invitation to “A Black Masque and Ball Macabre at the DOOMED McCORMICK MANSION.” The mansion was the former residence of Mr. and Mrs. Cyrus Hall McCormick at 675 Rush Street in Chicago. The party was hosted by “The Art Students League and Zeta Chapter of Delta Phi Delta” on April 19, 1952 at 8 pm, shortly before the McCormick mansion was scheduled for demolition. The illustrations depict the wording on the invitation, showing a band in the third floor ballroom and in the first floor salon. Party-goers are also illustrated dressed as nobility, ghosts, witches, Roman emperors, gladiators, flappers, villains, monsters, knights, and more. The illustration on the invitations is signed by the artists, Ron Slowinski and Dan Zuback, dated “3-’52.” Another intriguing detail appears on the back of the invitation, a handwritten pencil note “Do not give out.” |
| Image ID: | 94066 |
|---|---|
| Creation Date: | 03 1952 |
| Creator Name: | International Harvester Company |
| City: | Chicago |
| County: | |
| State: | Illinois |
| Collection Name: | McCormick family properties photographs and graphic materials, circa 1883-1966 |
| Genre: | Manuscript |
| Original Format Type: | manuscript |
| Original Format Number: | M2002-176, Box 13, Folder 3 |
| Original Dimensions: | 22 x 6 inches |
| The invitation reads: It started with a Reaper. Cyrus built that. Cyrus also built, on the Rubble of the Great Fire, This Brownstone Pile, Proud and Regal Monument to Private Wealth, Personal Power, and the Individual Exalted. In these splendid chambers Kind Cyrus lived five years and died. Remember the year: 1884. Half a Century his House reigned over Chicago. It was a Citadel in the Age of Taste, Imported Culture & Gilt. But the Era died. The Glory faded away. The Reaper Clan deserted its Costly Monument. The Mansion, the shell, alone remains. It stands molding; the City’s acrid breath erodes it Noble Stones; its Magnificent Chambers crumble into Decay. It awaits Death. April is the Month of Death and Demolition For the 73-year old Mansion. But hold! Let the Lovers of Life, the Idolizers of the Past Fete this Doomed Relic first. Let them bring Riotous Life into these deserted and haunted rooms. Let the strange music of the New Era reverberate through halls of fading tapestries and peeling frescoes. Let the Masqueraders explore these dim and forgotten recessed just once. Let there be Joy and Revelling before Death and Destruction descend on the obsolete Victorian walls. The ornately carved doors of the McCormick Mansion will swing open to the Public for the Last Time at 8 P.M., April 19th. There will be music in the Third Floor Ballroom (Cavanaugh & Sextet) and a First Floor Salon (Afro-Cuban Combo) until 2:00 A.M. Prizes will be awarded for best cos- tumes after a procession on the Grand Stairway. King and Queen of the Ball will be coronated at Midnight. Mail money orders to Art Students League, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Tickets limited. Admission $3 per Person. Costumes Required. |
| This image is issued by the Wisconsin Historical Society. Use of the image requires written permission from the staff of the Collections Division. It may not be sold or redistributed, copied or distributed as a photograph, electronic file, or any other media. The image should not be significantly altered through conventional or electronic means. Images altered beyond standard cropping and resizing require further negotiation with a staff member. The user is responsible for all issues of copyright. Please Credit: Wisconsin Historical Society. |
| Location: | Wisconsin Historical Society Archives, 4th Floor, Madison, Wisconsin |
|---|