Retail Revived
Yesterday we posted about one of those great old department store buildings that were,
and sometimes still are, found in major cities around the world. Chicago had a slew of them that ran for over a mile along State Street in the downtown core. Only one survives in its original home, Marshall Field & Co.
When Tiffany & Co. completed this ceiling in 1907 in one of the two atriums in the building,
Field's boasted that they were the largest store in the world. The retail giant occupied 1,339,000 square feet of space and employed 7,000 people.
The building was built in sections starting in 1892, completed in 1914, and filled an entire
city block. Daniel Burnham's firm was in charge of the design. Tiffany sent in craftsmen to install the thousands of opalescent tiles that make up the mosaic patterns of the dome.
The Field's project was so successful that it brought Burnham several other large retail commissions, including a store for Henry Selfridge in London. Selfridge learned the trade while working at Marshall Fields, under the master himself. Burnham died in 1912 and the northeast section, the final piece of the gigantic emporium's puzzle, was completed under the direction of Burnham acolyte E.R. Graham of Graham, Burnham & Co. Now Fields is owned by Macy's, and is the last of the big, grand department stores still in operation that once lined that great street, State Street.
Posted by designslinger at 12/1/2009 2:15 AM 
Categories: Architecture, Preservation
Tags: Chicago D.H.Burnham State Street
Categories: Architecture, Preservation
Tags: Chicago D.H.Burnham State Street
It's still hard not calling it Field's, but let's move on, Chicago. While Macy's on State is a grand store, it could still learn a few things from Harrod's in London. Harrod's Food Halls are vastly superior to Macy's Marketplace Foods. If only Macy's would understand that their State Street store has the very real potential to match the greatness of Harrod's incredible Food Halls.
Couldn't agree more. With a little investment Macy's could make Field's a truly great department store again and as much of a Chicago destination stop as Navy Pier or Millennium Park. Which in turn, would translate into the ever important revenue stream that all businesses are constantly searching for.
State Street seems a must when visiting Chicago!
I can't imagine the bill of the Tiffany's dome!! A beauty!
There are architectural treasures in the most unlikely places!