The Trope team was thrilled to celebrate the publication of Chicago’s Fine Arts Building: Music, Magic, and Murder on Friday, June 13, at Curtiss Hall, located on the 10th floor of the Fine Arts Building. The event was presented in partnership with Newcity and the Fine Arts Building, with Marz Community Brewing donating beverages for the event, and Exile in Bookville on hand to sell books to attendees.
The evening started with a VIP reception where author Keir Graff welcomed a crowd of over 100 friends, family, and media professionals for an hour of cocktails, snacks, and conversation. Trope’s Associate Publisher Michelle Fitzgerald welcomed attendees and shared the story of the book’s genesis. She then turned the stage over to Keir who graciously thanked everyone who had helped make the book a success, including photographer Tom Maday, foreword writer Gillian Flynn, Newcity publisher Brian Heiggelke, Erica Berger, Jacob Harvey and Alexander Attea from the Fine Arts Building, and the entire Trope team. Keir also gave a special shout-out to all the tenants and staff of the building who allowed him to tell their stories in the book.
At 7:00pm, the doors to Curtiss Hall opened to the public, and close to 200 people packed the space for a standing room only book talk and signing. Following a stirring and heartfelt introduction by Javier Ramirez, co-owner of Exile in Bookville, Keir was joined in conversation by architectural influencer Ronnie Frey. Keir and Ronnie talked about their shared experiences as tenants of the Fine Arts Building, as well as some of their favorite stories about the building. Keir spoke about the space as an important gathering place for artists, something that is needed now more than ever.
Following the talk, Keir took questions from the audience and then signed books for attendees.
The response to Chicago’s Fine Arts Building has been overwhelmingly positive, with coverage from Chicago Magazine, Booklist, Chicago Review of Books, WGN, Chicago History Podcast, and more.
Chicago’s Fine Arts Building: Music, Magic, and Murder is available now.
