In 1921, Benjamin Marshall unveiled his plans to construct a palatial mansion to house his personal residence, his studio, as well as a quarters for the Sheridan Shores Club membership organization. The mansion would replace a temporary studio he had constructed on property he had overlooking
Wilmette Harbor. A June 26, 1921
Chicago Tribune article wrote that the planned "elaborate Spanish-American type of building of pink
stucco," would house, "one of the most elaborate and luxurious studios in the country." The original at that time was to feature a red tiled roof and a fifty-foot
tower. Construction on a final design of the forty-room pink-stucco
Spanish Colonial Revival was started that year and was completed in 1924. The mansion's Spanish Colonial Revival exterior was somewhat simple, but the interior spaces and furnishings were immensely elaborate. Wilmette building permit records show that, in the years between its initial competition and its demolition, a further $113,000 of construction would be invested in the structure. Located on the east side of Sheridan Road, it stood across the road from the
North American Baháʼí House of Worship. The mansion became a well-known location, making it an unofficial landmark until it was torn down. of mansion, circa 1928 The opulent mansion was designed as a place to hold entertain, featuring many exotic spaces in which Marshall could entertain guests. The extravagance of the mansion has even led to retrospective comparisons being made between Marshall and
Jay Gatsby, the titular character of the
F. Scott Fitzgerald novel
The Great Gatsby, Notable guests that Marshall hosted at the mansion included noted actors such as
Ethel Barrymore,
Fay Bainter,
Richard Bennett,
Ina Claire,
Raymond Hitchcock,
Ed Wynn, playwrights such as
Noël Coward, conductors such as
Leopold Stokowski, artists such as
Frank O. Salisbury, travelers such as
Burton Holmes, and sports celebrities such as
Walter Hagen. One of the mansion's most notable spaces was its Egyptian solarium. A key feature of this space was a table which rose through the floor, rising up from a butler's pantry beneath it, allowing the table to be set on the level below and raised to the solarium. This table could be raised and lowered at the press of a button. The Sheridan Shores Yacht Club was housed in a space on the lower floor of the mansion. Marshall had allowed the club to be located in his mansion as a compromise with the village of Wilmette's government. The village government had previously been unwilling to rezone the property to permit him to house his commercial offices there. As a result, Marshall had been unable to get a building permit for the home. Marshall made an offer to members of the headquarter-less organization that he would let them house their headquarters in the basement of the studio if they could convince the village to issue a permit. Soon afterwards, the village was convinced to issue a permit allowing for the construction of a "clubhouse-studio", allowing Marshall to construct his mansion. The Yacht Club occupied several rooms on the lower floor. When Marshall sold the mansion to Nathan Goldblatt, the Sheridan Shores Club was evicted from their quarters. ==Sale to Nathan Goldblatt==