From Palm Springs to Chicago

 

 

A glimpse of Stanley Paul’s Chicago garden is reflected in a mirror behind this 1920’s art deco statue.

 

By MMcK

 

Frequent readers of Classic Chicago are aware of the enviable manner in which orchestra leader Stanley Paul manages our bitter winters. He simply closes his piano at the finish of the fall social season and flies out to California, where he regularly entertains friends in his Palm Springs garden.  When the Chicago benefit season picks up again in the spring, so does the weather—as well as Stanley, who heads back to his luxurious Old Town penthouse.  

However, the popular orchestra leader is not without a beautiful garden when he arrives in Chicago. His chic Old Town apartment features a terrace that offers Stanley, and the many friends he entertains, great pleasure throughout the summer.

 

Stanley greets a new mid-summer day on the terrace of his lovely apartment.

 He can stroll from his exquisite living room to the adjoining garden through either of a pair of French doors.

Or from his kitchen to enjoy breakfast on the terrace . . .

. . . surrounded by flowers.

High summer on Wells Street.

Although he is on the eighth floor, there are no soaring buildings nearby to obstruct the airy feeling.

  The Hancock Tower is among the distant buildings to the left.

The striking art deco pieces spaced throughout the outdoor area were collected by Stanley while he was an aspiring pianist in mid-century Manhattan. What had been valued decorative accents in the 1920’s had become dispensable 40 years later.

As New York movie houses and other vintage buildings were being torn down to make way for glass and steel, workers tossed these once esteemed items into the ubiquitous trash receptacles lining New York streets. Stanley scooped them up and put them in storage, knowing that one day they would again have value.

The statue at the beginning and end of this layout of photographs is of particular interest. Originally constructed of heavy—however impermanent—plaster, Stanley had her recast in enduring fiberglass, which has now survived several decades of Chicago winters.

 

This art deco plaque decorating Stanley’s terrace was rescued from a vintage movie palace.

Who but former Manhattanite Stanley Paul would have a memento from the Stork Club on his Chicago terrace?

Again,  the fiberglass statue.

With the launch of the fall benefit still a many weeks in the future, Stanley will have the remainder of the summer and a long autumn to continue enjoying his city garden.