Marshall Fields [ Now Macy's]

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Marshall Field & Company Store
Now Macy's at State Street..
Address: 101-149 North State Street..
The flagship store of Chicago's Marshall Field's at the State Street has been taken over New York's Macy's [since Sep, 2006].. It's slogan, "As Chicago as it gets", has been replaced by Macy's "Way to shop". However, I choose to write Marshall Fields, because I highlighting the accomplishments of the erstwhile Marshall Fields.. and all these pictures were taken when the store was still Marshall Fields.

The store was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1979, which implies that even after the takeover by Macy's, the name Marshall Field & Company Store, still remains on the walls of the store..

The store is an architectural marvel, with many well-known icons like:

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The Great Clocks..
The first clock to be installed was at the intersection of State & Washington, in 1897. It was replaced in 1907 with the one we see today. Another clock at the intersection of State & Randolph was installed in 1907.. Designed by the firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst and White, these massive and elegant timepieces weigh more than seven tons each.
# For more.. click here..

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The Tiffany Ceiling ..
Unveiled on September 30, 1907.. it is the largest glass mosaic of it's kind in the world. The ceiling covers about 6,000 square feet area and contains 1.6 million pieces. The late Louis C. Tiffany designed this glass mosaic dome. The project took one-&-a-half years to complete with more than 50 men on scaffolds to inlay the glass.
# For more..click here..

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Walnut Room..
It opened on Sept. 30, 1907. Located on the 7th floor, it is one of the oldest operating restaurants in Chicago and the very first restaurant in a department store. Marshall Field's was the first departmental store to start providing lunch/tea in the store and it was here, in the Walnut Room.. The restaurant is 17,000 square feet, the walls are constructed of Circassian wood imported from Russia and the chandeliers are made with original Austrian crystal. At the center is a 17-foot marble fountain. The Walnut Room still serves the traditional chicken potpie made from Mrs. Hering's original recipe..
# For the story of Mrs Hering's recipe..

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Great Granite Pillars..
These were installed in 1902.. It's official website claims that only those at the Temple of Karnak in Egypt are talled than these ..[a claim which I find difficult to believe!]
I dont have very good images of the pillars. These pictures were taken in March 2006, when the store was still Marshall Field's. [Taken over by Macy's in Sep, 2006].. I somehow feel that Macy's is not as camera friendly, so maybe I'll wont be taking pictures inside of the store..

Marshall Field's has many FIRSTS in the retailing business ...
# First in-store dining,
# First escalators,
# First money-back-guarantee-return-policy,
# First bridal registry ...
among many other firsts ... It was more than just a place to shop, it was a place to socialize and confirm one's social position. It's a huge store, covering about two million square feet of floor-space and spreading over an entire city-block!