Design
A Costume Ball Where Architects Dress as Buildings
In a revival of a 1930s society party, guests at a Chicago ball wore outfits of famous buildings such as Marina Bay Sands and the Aqua Tower.
In January 1931, architects and socialites gathered at New York City’s Hotel Astor to drink and dance away the gloom of the Depression for one night. The occasion was the annual Beaux-Arts Ball (its theme: “Fête Moderne—a Fantasie in Flame and Silver”).
What’s chiefly remembered about this particular high-society party is that titans of New York real estate came dressed in costumes depicting their own buildings, including the Waldorf Astoria and the Chrysler Building. That led to goofy, memorable photographs like the one shown below.