Embedded Files
Photo of the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre Box Office inside the Michigan League (September 2024) by Sophia Morovati.
Lydia Benda Mendelssohn Lives Forever on Stage
Lydia Benda Mendelssohn Lives Forever on Stage
by Sophia Morovati
As the audience applauds and the curtains close to the professional touring production of Antigone in May 1930, Gordon Mendelssohn looks around the theater named after his late-mother. He knows she would have loved to see it. Almost a hundred years later, the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre remains a vital part of the University of Michigan women’s history.
To combat sexism at UM, women students joined together in 1890 to create the Women’s League (“History.”). When the Michigan Union opened in 1907 as a men-only building for socialization and meetings, the Women’s League began raising money to create a female counterpart. By 1927, they reached their goal and began building the Michigan League (Dodge). In 1929, Mendelssohn’s son Gordon donated the last $50,000 needed to complete the construction of a theater being built inside the new building, his only request being that it be named in honor of his mother (“Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre”).
Born Lydia Benda in England in 1856 to German parents, she immigrated to Detroit in 1878 at 21-years-old, and three years later married Louis Mendelssohn, an esteemed German-born businessman and philanthropist (“Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre”). Her husband played an active role in the development of Detroit’s automotive industry as chairman and treasurer of Fisher Body Corp (“Louis Mendelssohn Obit” ).
Lydia and Louis had two children together, Gordon and Paxton (“Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre”). Unfortunately, Lydia passed away at the young age of 45-years-old in 1901 due to liver damage caused by alcoholism (“Lydia Mendelssohn”). Three years later, Gordon attended the University of Michigan for one year, where he was an active member of the Fencers Club, Deutscher Verein, and the U-M Comedy Club, introducing him to the arts program at Michigan. After leaving UM, he continued working in performing arts in Detroit and New York whilst working at Fisher Body Corp with his father (“Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre”).
Lydia’s life is truly reflective of her name. Her first name comes from Greek origin, meaning “woman from Lydia,” an ancient Greek city associated with wealth and opulence (“Lydia”). She lived an opulent, luxurious life, yet her early death can only be seen as a tragic interruption of what could have been. Benda, her maiden name, is the Slavic short form of Benedikt (meaning blessed in Latin, according to Ancestry.com), and became a common last name throughout German-speaking countries (“Benda”). Lydia’s married name, Mendelssohn (spelled Mendelson by some other families), derives from the Yiddish name, Mendl, and means “Mendel’s son” (“Mendelson Family History”). Mendl, also spelled Mendel, means wisdom and learning, arising from Hebrew and Persian roots (“Mendel”). The first Mendelssohn on record was German-Jewish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn, who participated in the assimilation of German-Jews and the development of Eastern European intellectual culture (“The Story of the Mendelssohns”). However, it is unknown if Lydia’s family is related to Moses.
Today, the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre remains to be a lively place on campus where performances are shown year-round. Lydia’s theater seats around 600 people and houses many famous performances, such as “Ladies in Retirement,” starring Oscar-winning actress Ruth Gordon (“High Drama”). You can see what’s playing in the Mendelssohn Theatre now at events.umich.edu.
Works Cited
“Benda Family Crest.” HouseOfNames, 1 Jan. 2000, www.houseofnames.com/benda-family-crest. Accessed 25 Sep. 2024.
Dodge, Samuel. “The ‘League’ at the University of Michigan Was Once Just for Female Students.” MLive, 11 Mar. 2024, www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2024/03/the-league-at-the-university-of-michigan-was-once-just-for-female-students.html. Accessed 24 Sep. 2024.
“Happening @ Michigan.” The University of Michigan, n.d., events.umich.edu/list?filter=locations%3A192. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.
“History.” University Unions, The University of Michigan, 29 Jan. 2020, uunions.umich.edu/history/. Accessed 23 Sep. 2024.
“Louis Mendelssohn Obit, Part 1 of 2.” Newspapers.Com, 29 Mar. 1935, www.newspapers.com/article/detroit-free-press-louis-mendelssohn-obi/134427378/. Accessed 24 Sep. 2024.
Louis Mendelssohn obituary photo. “Louis Mendelssohn Obit, Part 1 of 2.” Newspapers.Com, 29 Mar. 1935, www.newspapers.com/article/detroit-free-press-louis-mendelssohn-obi/134427378/. Accessed 24 Sep. 2024.
“Lydia: Meaning and Origin of First Name." Ancestry, n.d., www.ancestry.com/first-name-meaning/lydia. Accessed 23 Sep. 2024.
“Lydia Mendelssohn (1856-1901).” Find a Grave, n.d., www.findagrave.com/memorial/15194349/lydia-mendelssohn. Accessed 25 Sep. 2024.
“Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre.” University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, 30 Sept. 2024, smtd.umich.edu/facilities/lydia-mendelssohn-theatre/. Accessed 23 Sep. 2024.
“High Drama: Ann Arbor's Mid-Century Experiment with Professional Theater.” Ann Arbor District Library, n.d., aadl.org/taxonomy/term/24061#:~:text=Through%20the%20years%2C%20Drama%20Season,American%20Activities%20Committee%20(HUAC). Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.
Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre View From Stage. “Lydia Mendelssohn Theater.” University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, 30 Sept. 2024, smtd.umich.edu/facilities/lydia-mendelssohn-theatre/. Accessed 23 Sep. 2024.
“Mendel.” The Bump, n.d., www.thebump.com/b/mendel-baby-name. Accessed 10 Oct. 2024.
“Mendelson Family History.” Ancestry.Com, n.d., www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=mendelson. Accessed 24 Sep. 2024.
Morovati, Sophia. Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre Box Office, 20 Sept. 2024. Author’s personal collection.
“Origin and Meaning of First Name Benedikt” Ancestry, n.d., www.ancestry.com/first-name-meaning/benedikt. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.
“The Story of the Mendelssohns.” Mendelssohn Gesellschaft, n.d., www.mendelssohn-gesellschaft.de/en/mendelssohns/geschichte. Accessed 25 Sep. 2024.
Page updated
Report abuse