Lake View East in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Cole Porter

The Legacy Walk

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, August 26, 2021

1. Cole Porter Marker

Inscription.
COLE PORTER
Gay American Composer
(1893 – 1964)

Cole Porter remains one of America's all-time greatest composers and songwriters one of the few who wrote both the lyrics and the music. His hits include the musical comedies the Gay Divorce (1932), Anything Goes (1934), Panama Hattie (1939), Kiss Me, Kate (1948) and Can-Can (1952); and featured songs like "Night and Day", "I Get a Kick Out of You", "I've Got You Under My Skin” and "Begin the Beguine”. He worked with legendary stars Fred Astaire, Ethel Merman, Fanny Brice, Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Roy Rogers, Bing Crosby, Mary Martin and the Andrews Sisters; and is considered one of the principal contributors to the Great American Songbook. He married his close friend, socialite Linda Lee Thomas, in 1919 - a union that assured her social status while increasing his chances for success in his career. They lived a happy, publicly acceptable life, but Porter's reputation as a regular fixture at some of underground Hollywood's most notorious gay gatherings led to hushed rumors within upper-crust circles that threatened Thomas's social standing. They separated in

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the early 1930s (but did not divorce) and remained close friends. In 1937 Porter was crippled when his legs were crushed in a riding accident. He was in the hospital for months, struggling against mental and physical decline, though he continued to write with some success for the next several years. But the death of his beloved mother in 1952, followed by his wife's passing in 1954, and the amputation of his right leg in 1958, took its toll. His spirit broken, reliant on alcohol and pain killers, and fighting gastric ulcers, pneumonia, and numerous compounding maladies, Porter slipped into severe depression and never wrote another song. He spent the remaining years of his life in seclusion with his long-time companion, Ray Kelly, whose children still receive half of Porter's royalties. He died of kidney failure on October 15, 1964. He was 73.

Erected 2014 by The Legacy Project.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment. In addition, it is included in the Grammy Award Winners, and the The Legacy Walk series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is October 15, 1964.

Location. 41° 56.541′ N,

Cole Porter Marker - wide view image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, August 26, 2021

2. Cole Porter Marker - wide view

The marker is visible mounted to a pylon on the east side of North Halsted. Porter's marker shares the pylon with a marker for Tchaikovsky.

87° 38.955′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Lake View East. It is on North Halsted Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3311 North Halsted Street, Chicago IL 60657, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (here, next to this marker); Dr. Sally K. Ride (a few steps from this marker); Bayard Rustin (a few steps from this marker); Reinaldo Arenas (within shouting distance of this marker); Alan Mathison Turing (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Walt Whitman (about 300 feet away); Keith Haring (about 300 feet away); Sylvester (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map

Marker inset: Cole Porter image. Click for full size.

3. Marker inset: Cole Porter

of all markers in Chicago.

Also see . . .
1. Cole Porter. Wikipedia entry:

"Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film.

...After a slow start, he began to achieve success in the 1920s, and by the 1930s he was one of the major songwriters for the Broadway musical stage. Unlike many successful Broadway composers, Porter wrote the lyrics as well as the music for his songs.... His shows of the early 1940s did not contain the lasting hits of his best work of the 1920s and 1930s, but in 1948 he made a triumphant comeback with his most successful musical, Kiss Me, Kate. It won the first Tony Award for Best Musical."

(Submitted on August 31, 2021.)

2. Anything Goes performed by Cole Porter (YouTube, 3 min.). (Submitted on August 31, 2021.)

Additional keywords. lgbt lgbtq

Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 30, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 856 times since then and 55 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 30, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.