Marshall Field's
Encyclopedia
Marshall Field & Company (Marshall Field's) was a department store
in Chicago, Illinois that grew to become a major chain before being acquired by Macy's Inc. on August 30, 2005.
The former flagship Marshall Field and Company Building
location on State Street
in The Loop
of downtown Chicago was officially renamed Macy's on State Street on September 9, 2006, and is now one of four national Macy's flagship stores — one of two within the company's Macy's East retail division alongside its New York store at Herald Square. Initially, the State Street store was the lead store of the Macy's North division, immediately following the merger.
Marshall Field & Company traces its antecedents to a dry goods store opened at 137 Lake Street in Chicago in 1852 by Potter Palmer
, eponymously named P. Palmer & Co.. Four years later, in 1856, 21-year-old Marshall Field
moved to Chicago
from Pittsfield, Massachusetts
, finding work at the city's then largest dry goods firm, Cooley, Wadsworth & Co. Just prior to the Civil War, in 1860, Field and bookkeeper Levi Leiter
became junior partners in the firm, then known as Cooley, Farwell & Co. In 1864 the firm, then led by senior partner John V. Farwell, was renamed Farwell, Field & Co. only for Field and Leiter to soon withdraw from the partnership when presented with the opportunity of a lifetime.
Potter Palmer
, plagued by ailing health, was looking to dispose of his thriving business, so on January 4, 1865, Field and Leiter entered into partnership with him and his brother Milton Palmer. P. Palmer & Co. became Field, Palmer, Leiter & Co., with Palmer financing much of their initial capital as well as his own contribution. After Field and Leiter's success enabled them to pay him back, Palmer withdrew from the partnership in 1867 to focus on his growing real-estate interests on State Street
. His brother Milton left at this time as well. The store was renamed Field, Leiter & Co., sometimes referred to as "Field & Leiter".
The buyout, however, did not bring an end to Potter Palmer's association with the firm. In 1868, Palmer convinced Field and Leiter to lease a new, six-story edifice he had built at the northeast corner of State and Washington Streets. The store was soon referred to as the "Marble Palace" due to its costly marble face.
. When news that this was a major conflagration reached company officials Henry Willing and Levi Leiter, they decided to load as much of the expensive merchandise as possible onto wagons and take it to Leiter's home, which was out of the path of the fire. The company's drivers and teams were ordered out of the barns. Horace B. Parker, a young salesman, rushed to the store's basement, broke up boxes, and built a fire in the boiler so that the steam elevators could be operated. These employees worked feverishly through the night to remove vital records and valuable goods to safety.
At one point, the gas tank exploded, which put out the store's lights. The men worked on by candlelight and the glow from the approaching flames. The employees got enough steam up to operate the store's powerful pumps in the basement, and volunteers went to the roof and used the store's fire hoses to wet down the roof and the wall on the side of the oncoming fire. Early in the morning however, the city's waterworks burned, thus ending the water supply and making further efforts useless. The last employee had scarcely made it out of the building when it burst into flames, shooting fire from every window.
The store burned to the ground. However, as a result of the employees' herculean efforts, so much merchandise was saved that the store was able to reopen in only a few weeks (the Wholesale Department on Oct. 28, and the Retail Department on Nov. 6) in a temporary location (a horse-car barn of the Chicago City Railway Co. at State & 20th Sts.). In April 1872, Field & Leiter reopened in an unburned building at Madison and Market Streets (today's West Wacker Drive). Parker stayed with the company for 45 years, rising to the level of General Sales Manager.
. Meanwhile the Singer company had speculatively built a new, even larger, six-story building on the ruins of their old store, which, after some contention, was personally bought by Field and Leiter. Field, Leiter & Co. reclaimed their traditional location at the northeast corner of State and Washington for the last time in April 1879.
In January 1881, Field, with the support of his junior partners, bought Levi Leiter , renaming the business Marshall Field & Co.. As Palmer had before, Leiter retired to tend his significant real estate investments, which included commissioning a department store building
at State Street and Van Buren to house Siegel, Cooper & Co.. In 1932, this building was leased to mail-order firm Sears, Roebuck & Co.
In 1887, the landmark seven-story Henry Hobson Richardson
-designed Marshall Field's Wholesale Store
opened on Franklin Street between Quincy and Adams. Though little remembered today, the wholesale division sold merchandise in bulk to smaller merchants throughout the central and western United States and at that time did six times the sales volume of the retail store. Chicago's location at the center of the country's railroads and Great Lakes shipping made it the center of the dry goods wholesaling business by the 1870s, with Field's former partner John V. Farwell being his largest rival. It was the scale of the profits generated by the John G. Shedd
-led wholesale division during this time that made Marshall Field the richest man in Chicago and one of the richest in the country.
was appointed to lead the retail store and headed it as it evolved into a modern department store
. That same year, Field personally obtained Leiter's remaining interest in the 1879 Singer building and in 1888 started buying the buildings adjoining his for additional floor space.
Marshall Field also had a child at this time.
In 1892, the structures between the 1879 building and Wabash Avenue to the east were demolished and D.H. Burnham & Company was commissioned to erect a new building in anticipation of the influx of visitors from the World's Columbian Exposition
. The nine-story "Annex" at the northwest corner of Wabash and Washington was opened under the direction of Burnham associate Charles B. Atwood
in August 1893, towards the end of the exposition. In 1897, the old 1879 store was rebuilt and had two additional floors added, while the first of Marshall Field's Great Clocks was installed at the corner of Washington and State Streets on November 26.
In 1901, Marshall Field & Company was incorporated, converting from a private partnership. Spurred on by Selfridge, Marshall Field razed the three buildings north of it which had been occupied since 1888, as well as the Dankmar Adler
and Louis Sullivan
-designed 1879 Central Music Mall at the southeast corner of State and Randolph in 1901. In their place rose a massive, twelve-story building fronting on State Street in 1902, including a grand new entrance. In 1906, a third new building opened on Wabash Avenue north of the 1893 structure, which by then had become the oldest part of the store.
In the midst of all this work to build the State Street retail store, Selfridge resigned abruptly from the company in 1904, buying rival Schlesinger & Mayer, before selling it only three months later. Schlesinger & Mayer in 1899 had commissioned the Louis Sullivan
-designed building now known as the Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Building
, which is the firm to which Selfridge sold the business. After trying retirement, he went on to establish Selfridges
in London.
suspended afternoon trading in his honor. The board of Marshall Field and Company appointed John Shedd, whom Field had once called "the greatest merchant in the United States", to serve as the company's new president. Shedd became president of a company that employed 12,000 people in Chicago (two-thirds of them in retail) and was doing about $25 million in yearly retail sales in addition to nearly $50 million wholesale.
Under Shedd's leadership, Marshall Field & Co. continued the rebuilding of its store, fulfilling plans approved by Field himself to pull down the 1879 structure later in 1906. In its stead rose a new south State Street building with a continuation of the 1902 façade. Opened in September 1907, it included a Tiffany
Ceiling that is both the first and largest ceiling ever built in favrile glass, containing over 1.6 million pieces. With completion of the 1907 building, Marshall Field's momentarily claimed the title of "world's largest department store" over John Wanamaker & Co.
in Philadelphia
and R.H. Macy & Co.
in New York.
In 1912, the 16-story Trude Building at the southwest corner of Wabash and Randolph, was acquired and demolished, an act that was considered to be one of the first if not the first demolition of a high-rise. In its place rose the 1914 building by Graham, Burnham & Co., completing the present-day store and encompassing the entire square city block bounded by Washington, State, Wabash, and Randolph Streets.
Also, in 1914, Graham, Burnham supervised the opening of a new twenty-story Marshall Field Annex across the street at 25 East Washington, which housed "Marshall Field's Store for Men" on its first six floors. These buildings recaptured its status as the world's largest department store, its many restaurants and separate men's and women's lounges becoming an important social destination for Chicago.
Shedd continued to expand Field's wholesale business and grew its manufacturing business, buying textile mills in the South in 1911 (see Cannon Mills Company
) as well as overseeing the purchase of the Marshall Field Trust's interest in the business in 1917. The Field Family retained only a ten percent stake. John Shedd retired in late 1922.
The first branch of Marshall Field's itself opened at Market Square
in Lake Forest, Illinois
in May 1928. In September 1928, its first branch in Evanston, Illinois
followed, later relocating to a French Renaissance-style building at Sherman Avenue and Church Street in November 1929. The Oak Park, Illinois
store opened in September 1929 in a building similar to the Evanston store.
Frederick & Nelson
, a Seattle, Washington-based department store founded in 1890, was also acquired in 1929, with its own 1914 building at Pine Street and Fifth Avenue. Frederick & Nelson retained its name, though their logo was soon rewritten in Field's iconic script. But more importantly for Field's history, Frederick & Nelson also brought with it the now famous Frango
mints brand that became so closely identified with Marshall Field's and Chicago. Field's candy kitchen at the State Street flagship store soon began producing the confections.
Marshall Field & Co. became a public company in 1930 just as the Great Depression
hit. The retailer needed capital due to the expense of opening the Merchandise Mart
to house its flagging wholesale division. Ground was broken in 1927 during the boom years; when the Mart opened in 1930, it was the largest building in the world. The 1887 Wholesale Store was closed and demolished at this time. But the new building, faced with a change in retail distribution and wholesale patterns in addition to the Great Depression
, could not save Field's wholesale division. Simpson left the company, and James O. McKinsey
, a University of Chicago
professor and founder of the McKinsey and Company consulting firm, was brought in to clean up the company. The wholesale division, once the core of the company was liquidated by 1936. The Davis Store was closed in 1936 as well, and its building was sold to Goldblatts. In 1939, the land underlying the main store was acquired from the Marshall Field Trust. Meanwhile, McKinsey also reorganized the company's vertically integrated operations, notably by merging the company's varied textile operations under the Fieldcrest
name.
Following World War II, the Merchandise Mart building was sold to Joseph P. Kennedy in 1945, significantly improving the company's finances and enabling the store to cope with the post-war suburban boom. Marshall Field's presciently followed its customers to their new homes; a store at pioneering developer Philip M. Klutznick's Park Forest Plaza
opened in 1950.
In 1956, Klutznick and Field's jointly opened Old Orchard Shopping Center in Skokie, Illinois
, a center Klutznick developed on land that Field's already owned; the development included a new Field's store. This was followed by the 1959 opening of a Field's store in the Mayfair Mall
in suburban Milwaukee, Wisconsin
, and stores at later Klutznick-led shopping centers opened at Oakbrook Center
in Oak Brook, Illinois
in 1962 and River Oaks Center
in Calumet City, Illinois
in 1966.
Marshall Field's acquired The Crescent department store in Spokane, Washington
in 1962 and in 1970 bought Halle Brothers Co.
, a leading department store in Cleveland, Ohio
. Field's also continued to expand its hometown base, opening a store at Woodfield Center
in Schaumburg
in 1971.
CherryVale Mall
in Rockford
and Hawthorn Center
in Vernon Hills
followed in 1973, and stores at Water Tower Place
in Chicago and Fox Valley Center
in Aurora
opened in 1975. The suburban expansion continued in 1976 with a location at Orland Square
in Orland Park
, followed by the Louis Joliet Mall
store in Joliet
in 1978. In 1979, Marshall Field's expanded into Texas with a store at The Galleria
in Houston
.
The year 1980 saw the acquisition of J.B. Ivey Co.
, a department store chain with roots in Charlotte, North Carolina
and Jacksonville, Florida
, The Union Co. in Columbus, Ohio
, the Lipman's stores in Portland, Oregon
and several Liberty House
stores in Washington state
. Field's existing Frederick & Nelson
unit in Seattle absorbed the Lipman's and Liberty House stores, but after initially merging The Union with its Halle's unit, Field's decided to sell the combined chain in November 1981; the new owners quickly liquidated it.
The early 1980s saw slower expansion, with just two store locations added - one in October 1980 at Spring Hill Mall
in West Dundee
, and one in 1981 at Stratford Square Mall
in Bloomingdale
. Another Texas store opened at the Dallas Galleria, in Dallas, Texas
in 1982.
and Kohl's
. Field's continued to expand under BATUS, adding stores at Houston's Town & Country Mall
in 1983 and at the North Star Mall
in San Antonio in 1986.
Only four years after buying Marshall Field's, however, BATUS scaled back its retail operations in 1986, selling Field's former subsidiaries Frederick & Nelson and The Crescent to a local investor group. Frederick & Nelson quickly deteriorated and became defunct in 1992. Its 1914 building, the one acquired by Field's in 1929, was eventually bought by Nordstrom
; the structure was renovated and reopened in 1998 as a replacement for Nordstrom's own Seattle parent store.
BATUS closed its Gimbels division in 1986 and transferred five former Gimbels locations in Wisconsin to its Marshall Field's division: downtown Milwaukee, Northridge Mall
and Southridge Mall in suburban Milwaukee, Hilldale Shopping Center
in Madison and in downtown Appleton
. The former Gimbels Northridge and Southridge locations were retained within Field's for only three years; following poor performance, they were sold in 1989 to H.C. Prange Co. of Sheboygan.
The Evanston and Oak Park stores were closed in 1986, their 1929 buildings deemed out of date and too costly to operate. A major restoration and renovation of the State Street flagship store commenced in 1987.
BATUS initially kept Saks Fifth Avenue, Marshall Field's, and Ivey's; however, it sold all its remaining U.S. retail assets in 1990, with Saks going to Bahrain-based Investcorp
, Ivey's sold to Dillard's
, and Marshall Field's sold to then Dayton-Hudson Corporation (now Target Corporation
).
and Hudson's stores as Marshall Field's; however, these stores were outside of Field's existing markets and never adopted either the corporate culture or the higher-end merchandise for which Field's had become famous. Then in 2000, Dayton-Hudson renamed itself Target Corporation
, having determined that Target was where more of its future growth would be and the more nationally visible division to stockholders. Target then merged the remaining Dayton's and Hudson's department stores into Marshall Field's. Some saw this as the beginning of a downward slide for Marshall Field's as Target Corporation focused more on its rapidly growing discount stores and introduced some of the brands carried there to the Marshall Field's stores, displacing some of Field's more expensive merchandise.
Finally, in 2004 Target Corporation sold the Marshall Field's chain to May Co., thereby exiting the department store business entirely. It was hoped that separating from discounter Target would improve Marshall Field's retail prospects, and that May Stores would "let Field's be Field's" and allow it to recapture its former cachet and upper-class customer base. However, May owned Field's for barely a year before it agreed in the Fall of 2005 to be acquired by Federated Department Stores, Inc.
. Federated announced in February 2005 that it would use the acquisition of May, including the Field's stores, to create the nation's second-largest department store chain, with 1,000 locations.
After Federated's acquisition of May Co. they announced that all Marshall Field's stores would convert to the Macy's nameplate in fall 2006. This touched off a firestorm of protest that continued long after the changeover was complete.
On February 1, 2006, the Marshall Field's corporate division was renamed the Macy's North Division of Federated Department Stores. On September 9, 2006, all its operating stores were renamed Macy's
and absorbed into that chain. Although the conversion officially occurred on September 9, 2006, it was implemented gradually and in effect by early August, as signified by such events as Macy's cars entered in the Bud Billiken Day Parade
, and Macy's displays in store windows.
In Chicago, Macy's move into the Marshall Field's building on State Street infuriated many residents. Over 250 protesters gathered under Marshall Field's famous clock on September 9, 2006, the day the name change was implemented and over 300 gathered once again to mark the one year anniversary of the Marshall Field's name change on September 9, 2007. Macy's reported in December 2006 slowed sales in stores that once were Marshall Field's. In November 2007, Macy's announced that it would no longer try to lure angry and upset former Marshall Field's shoppers to their stores and instead would now be trying to lure new customers into the State Street Store. Macy's hopes to do this by adding an FAO Schwarz floor and a wine bar to the Walnut Room, as well as having Martha Stewart
decorate the Christmas Tree in the Walnut Room.
On May 16, 2008 there were three Marshall Field's customers who were so outraged by Macy's decision to eliminate Marshall Field's that they attended the Macy's annual shareholder meeting and sharply questioned Macy's CEO Terry Lundgren over that move. Mr. Lundgren was told by one loyal Marshall Field's customer who was tired of being ignored, "You are pushing for 'my Macy's', but for me and most of my Chicago neighbors, I want my Marshall Field's." Marshall Field's supporters have continued to attend the annual Macy's shareholders meeting in Cincinnati in 2009 and 2010. At these meetings, CEO Terry Lundgren has maintained that former Marshall Field's locations have been successful and profitable, noting that the Walnut Room had recently experienced its most visitors since they started keeping statistics. A shareholder countered with the position that especially the State Street store could be even more successful if converted back to Marshall Field's, citing May 2010 survey results showing that 81% of Chicago shoppers still preferred Marshall Field's over Macy's while 13% preferred Macy's over Marshall Field's. (MOE=4.23%<5 %, CI = 95%)
Dozens have attended additional protest rallies that have been held "under the great clock" on September 9, 2008 and September 13, 2009.
On Sunday, September 12, 2010, another rally sponsored by FieldsFansChicago.org took place at the State Street store. And according to FieldsFanChicago, a survey that took place in May 2011, claimed that 4 out of 5 Chicago shoppers would prefer Field's to Macy's. When this information was presented to Macy’s, Inc. CEO, President and Chairman, Terry Lundgren, he maintained that Macy's still takes Chicago seriously, and used the renovation of the Water Tower Place store as a prime example.
Another "Rally for Field's" is scheduled to take place at 12 noon on Saturday, September 10, 2011 under "The Great Clock" at State & Washington.
at State and Washington Streets in Chicago was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1978 and is part of the Loop Retail National Historic District. The building was designated a Chicago Landmark
on November 1, 2005. With approximately two million square feet of available floor space, the building is the second-largest department store in the United States.
In 1987, while under BATUS ownership, Field's State Street store underwent significant restoration. In 2004, while Field's was still owned by Dayton Hudson/Target, another extensive restoration of the landmark State Street store, costing $115 million, was begun; the last of the renovation was completed after the May acquisition. The 2004 renovations included the installation of new lower-level shops, removal of steel grates from the upper portions of the store's historic light wells, and the addition of an eleven-story atrium in what had been an alley and mid-store light shaft.
In 2004, Field's also introduced significant upgrades to merchandise and the introduction of luxury vendor relationships, in which 10% of the floor space was leased to outside vendors in a manner similar to Selfridge's in London (Selfridge's was founded by former Field's executive Harry Selfridge, who based his business model on Marshall Field's; likewise, the Selfridge's building in London was based on the architecture of the Marshall Field's store).
On April 27, 2006, Macy's announced that the Marshall Field name would not be retained on the State Street store, instead renaming it "Macy's on State Street", a specialized divisional flagship store with some features unique to this single location, including the continuation of certain Marshall Field's traditions under the Macy's name. However, Macy's could not change everything: Because of the building's history and landmark status, it will forever be known as the Marshall Field and Company Building, regardless of which company occupies it.
Among the "firsts" by Marshall Field's was the concept of the department store tea room. In the 19th century, ladies shopping downtown returned home for lunch; having lunch at a downtown restaurant unescorted by a gentleman was not considered ladylike. But after a Marshall Field's clerk shared her lunch with a tired shopper (a chicken pot pie), Field's hit on the idea of opening a department store tea room, so that women shoppers would not feel the need to make two trips to complete their shopping. To this day, the Walnut Room serves the traditional Mrs. Herring's chicken pot pie.
That is just one among many innovations by Marshall Field's. Field's had the first European buying office, which was located in Manchester, England
, and the first bridal registry
. The company was the first to introduce the concept of the personal shopper, and that service was provided without charge in every Field's store, right up to the chain's last days under the Marshall Field's name. It was the first store to offer revolving credit
and the first department store to use escalator
s. Marshall Field's book department in the State Street store was legendary; it pioneered the concept of the "book signing
." Moreover, every year at Christmas, Marshall Field's downtown store windows were filled with animated displays as part of the downtown shopping district display; the "theme" window displays became famous for their ingenuity and beauty, and visiting the Marshall Field's windows at Christmas became a tradition for Chicagoans and visitors alike, as popular a local practice as visiting the Walnut Room with its equally famous Christmas tree or meeting "under the clock" on State Street.
Marshall Field was famous for his slogan "Give the lady what she wants." He was also famous for his integrity, character, and community philanthropy and leadership. After his death, the company remained to the very end a major philanthropic contributor to its Chicago-area community.
Field, the store he created, and his successor John G. Shedd
, helped establish Chicago's prominence throughout the world in business, art, culture, and education. The Art Institute of Chicago
, the Field Museum of Natural History
(as renamed in 1905 for its first major benefactor), the Museum of Science and Industry
, the John G. Shedd Aquarium, and the University of Chicago
all have been aided by the philanthropy of Marshall Field's. Marshall Field was also a major sponsor of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition
.
's 1957 parody of "thrill-packed" TV westerns is titled Bang Gunnleigh -- U S Marshall Field's.
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
in Chicago, Illinois that grew to become a major chain before being acquired by Macy's Inc. on August 30, 2005.
The former flagship Marshall Field and Company Building
Marshall Field and Company Building
Marshall Field and Company Building or Macy's at State Street is the former flagship location of the former Marshall Field's department store and the current location of the Chicago flagship of Macy's...
location on State Street
State Street (Chicago)
State Street is a large south-north street in Chicago, Illinois, USA and its south suburbs. It begins on the Near North Side at North Avenue. For much of its course, it lies between Wabash Avenue on the east and Dearborn Street/Lafayette Avenue on the west...
in The Loop
Chicago Loop
The Loop or Chicago Loop is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas located in the City of Chicago, Illinois. It is the historic commercial center of downtown Chicago...
of downtown Chicago was officially renamed Macy's on State Street on September 9, 2006, and is now one of four national Macy's flagship stores — one of two within the company's Macy's East retail division alongside its New York store at Herald Square. Initially, the State Street store was the lead store of the Macy's North division, immediately following the merger.
Early years
Potter Palmer
Potter Palmer was an American businessman who was responsible for much of the development of State Street in Chicago.-Retailing career:...
, eponymously named P. Palmer & Co.. Four years later, in 1856, 21-year-old Marshall Field
Marshall Field
Marshall Field was founder of Marshall Field and Company, the Chicago-based department stores.-Life and career:...
moved to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
from Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Its area code is 413. Its ZIP code is 01201...
, finding work at the city's then largest dry goods firm, Cooley, Wadsworth & Co. Just prior to the Civil War, in 1860, Field and bookkeeper Levi Leiter
Levi Leiter
Levi Ziegler Leiter was a Chicago businessman. He co-founded what became the Marshall Field & Company retail empire.-Biography:...
became junior partners in the firm, then known as Cooley, Farwell & Co. In 1864 the firm, then led by senior partner John V. Farwell, was renamed Farwell, Field & Co. only for Field and Leiter to soon withdraw from the partnership when presented with the opportunity of a lifetime.
Potter Palmer
Potter Palmer
Potter Palmer was an American businessman who was responsible for much of the development of State Street in Chicago.-Retailing career:...
, plagued by ailing health, was looking to dispose of his thriving business, so on January 4, 1865, Field and Leiter entered into partnership with him and his brother Milton Palmer. P. Palmer & Co. became Field, Palmer, Leiter & Co., with Palmer financing much of their initial capital as well as his own contribution. After Field and Leiter's success enabled them to pay him back, Palmer withdrew from the partnership in 1867 to focus on his growing real-estate interests on State Street
State Street (Chicago)
State Street is a large south-north street in Chicago, Illinois, USA and its south suburbs. It begins on the Near North Side at North Avenue. For much of its course, it lies between Wabash Avenue on the east and Dearborn Street/Lafayette Avenue on the west...
. His brother Milton left at this time as well. The store was renamed Field, Leiter & Co., sometimes referred to as "Field & Leiter".
The buyout, however, did not bring an end to Potter Palmer's association with the firm. In 1868, Palmer convinced Field and Leiter to lease a new, six-story edifice he had built at the northeast corner of State and Washington Streets. The store was soon referred to as the "Marble Palace" due to its costly marble face.
The Great Chicago Fire
On Sunday evening, Oct. 8, 1871, a fire broke out on the west side of the city, and with high winds, quickly got out of control, becoming the Great Chicago FireGreat Chicago Fire
The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned from Sunday, October 8, to early Tuesday, October 10, 1871, killing hundreds and destroying about in Chicago, Illinois. Though the fire was one of the largest U.S...
. When news that this was a major conflagration reached company officials Henry Willing and Levi Leiter, they decided to load as much of the expensive merchandise as possible onto wagons and take it to Leiter's home, which was out of the path of the fire. The company's drivers and teams were ordered out of the barns. Horace B. Parker, a young salesman, rushed to the store's basement, broke up boxes, and built a fire in the boiler so that the steam elevators could be operated. These employees worked feverishly through the night to remove vital records and valuable goods to safety.
At one point, the gas tank exploded, which put out the store's lights. The men worked on by candlelight and the glow from the approaching flames. The employees got enough steam up to operate the store's powerful pumps in the basement, and volunteers went to the roof and used the store's fire hoses to wet down the roof and the wall on the side of the oncoming fire. Early in the morning however, the city's waterworks burned, thus ending the water supply and making further efforts useless. The last employee had scarcely made it out of the building when it burst into flames, shooting fire from every window.
The store burned to the ground. However, as a result of the employees' herculean efforts, so much merchandise was saved that the store was able to reopen in only a few weeks (the Wholesale Department on Oct. 28, and the Retail Department on Nov. 6) in a temporary location (a horse-car barn of the Chicago City Railway Co. at State & 20th Sts.). In April 1872, Field & Leiter reopened in an unburned building at Madison and Market Streets (today's West Wacker Drive). Parker stayed with the company for 45 years, rising to the level of General Sales Manager.
After the Great Fire
In October 1873, Field and Leiter returned to State Street, opening in a new five-story store at their old location they leased from Singer Sewing Machine Company, Palmer having sold the site to finance his own rebuilding activities. This store was expanded in 1876, only to be destroyed by fire again in November 1877. Ever tenacious, Field and Leiter had a new temporary store opened by the end of the month at a lakefront exposition hall they leased from the city, located at what is now the site of the Art Institute of ChicagoArt Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
. Meanwhile the Singer company had speculatively built a new, even larger, six-story building on the ruins of their old store, which, after some contention, was personally bought by Field and Leiter. Field, Leiter & Co. reclaimed their traditional location at the northeast corner of State and Washington for the last time in April 1879.
Second Leiter Building
The Second Leiter Building, also known as Leiter II Building and the Sears Building, is located at the northeast corner of South State Street and East Congress Parkway in Chicago, Illinois....
at State Street and Van Buren to house Siegel, Cooper & Co.. In 1932, this building was leased to mail-order firm Sears, Roebuck & Co.
In 1887, the landmark seven-story Henry Hobson Richardson
Henry Hobson Richardson
Henry Hobson Richardson was a prominent American architect who designed buildings in Albany, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and other cities. The style he popularized is named for him: Richardsonian Romanesque...
-designed Marshall Field's Wholesale Store
Marshall Field's Wholesale Store
Marshall Field's Wholesale Store, Chicago, Illinois, sometimes referred to as the Marshall Field's Warehouse Store, was a landmark seven-story designed by Henry Hobson Richardson...
opened on Franklin Street between Quincy and Adams. Though little remembered today, the wholesale division sold merchandise in bulk to smaller merchants throughout the central and western United States and at that time did six times the sales volume of the retail store. Chicago's location at the center of the country's railroads and Great Lakes shipping made it the center of the dry goods wholesaling business by the 1870s, with Field's former partner John V. Farwell being his largest rival. It was the scale of the profits generated by the John G. Shedd
John G. Shedd
John Graves Shedd was the second president and chairman of the board of Marshall Field & Company.Born on a New Hampshire farm, Shedd arrived in Chicago, Illinois in 1871 and began working as a stock clerk for Marshall Field. By 1901, he had worked his way up to a vice-presidency and took over as...
-led wholesale division during this time that made Marshall Field the richest man in Chicago and one of the richest in the country.
State Street store
Following the departure of Leiter, the retail store began to grow in importance. Though it continued to remain a fraction of the size of the wholesale division, its opulent building and luxurious merchandise helped differentiate Marshall Field's from the other wholesale dry goods merchants in town. In 1887, Harry Gordon SelfridgeHarry Gordon Selfridge
Harry Gordon Selfridge, Sr. was an American-born retail magnate, who founded the British department store Selfridges.-Early years:...
was appointed to lead the retail store and headed it as it evolved into a modern department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
. That same year, Field personally obtained Leiter's remaining interest in the 1879 Singer building and in 1888 started buying the buildings adjoining his for additional floor space.
Marshall Field also had a child at this time.
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
. The nine-story "Annex" at the northwest corner of Wabash and Washington was opened under the direction of Burnham associate Charles B. Atwood
Charles B. Atwood
Charles B. Atwood was an architect who designed several buildings and a large number of secondary structures for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. He also designed a number of notable buildings in the city of Chicago....
in August 1893, towards the end of the exposition. In 1897, the old 1879 store was rebuilt and had two additional floors added, while the first of Marshall Field's Great Clocks was installed at the corner of Washington and State Streets on November 26.
In 1901, Marshall Field & Company was incorporated, converting from a private partnership. Spurred on by Selfridge, Marshall Field razed the three buildings north of it which had been occupied since 1888, as well as the Dankmar Adler
Dankmar Adler
Dankmar Adler was a celebrated German-born American architect.-Early years:...
and Louis Sullivan
Louis Sullivan
Louis Henri Sullivan was an American architect, and has been called the "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism" He is considered by many as the creator of the modern skyscraper, was an influential architect and critic of the Chicago School, was a mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright, and an...
-designed 1879 Central Music Mall at the southeast corner of State and Randolph in 1901. In their place rose a massive, twelve-story building fronting on State Street in 1902, including a grand new entrance. In 1906, a third new building opened on Wabash Avenue north of the 1893 structure, which by then had become the oldest part of the store.
In the midst of all this work to build the State Street retail store, Selfridge resigned abruptly from the company in 1904, buying rival Schlesinger & Mayer, before selling it only three months later. Schlesinger & Mayer in 1899 had commissioned the Louis Sullivan
Louis Sullivan
Louis Henri Sullivan was an American architect, and has been called the "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism" He is considered by many as the creator of the modern skyscraper, was an influential architect and critic of the Chicago School, was a mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright, and an...
-designed building now known as the Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Building
Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Building
The Sullivan Center, formerly known as the Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Building or Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Store, is a commercial building at 1 South State Street at the corner of East Madison Street in Chicago, Illinois. It was designed by Louis Sullivan for the retail firm...
, which is the firm to which Selfridge sold the business. After trying retirement, he went on to establish Selfridges
Selfridges
Selfridges, AKA Selfridges & Co, is a chain of high end department stores in the United Kingdom. It was founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge. The flagship store in London's Oxford Street is the second largest shop in the UK and was opened on 15 March 1909.More recently, three other stores have been...
in London.
Shedd era
Marshall Field died on January 16, 1906 in New York City. On the day of his funeral, all the stores along State Street, big and small, closed and the Chicago Board of TradeChicago Board of Trade
The Chicago Board of Trade , established in 1848, is the world's oldest futures and options exchange. More than 50 different options and futures contracts are traded by over 3,600 CBOT members through open outcry and eTrading. Volumes at the exchange in 2003 were a record breaking 454 million...
suspended afternoon trading in his honor. The board of Marshall Field and Company appointed John Shedd, whom Field had once called "the greatest merchant in the United States", to serve as the company's new president. Shedd became president of a company that employed 12,000 people in Chicago (two-thirds of them in retail) and was doing about $25 million in yearly retail sales in addition to nearly $50 million wholesale.
Louis Comfort Tiffany
Louis Comfort Tiffany was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is the American artist most associated with the Art Nouveau and Aesthetic movements...
Ceiling that is both the first and largest ceiling ever built in favrile glass, containing over 1.6 million pieces. With completion of the 1907 building, Marshall Field's momentarily claimed the title of "world's largest department store" over John Wanamaker & Co.
Wanamaker's
Wanamaker's department store was the first department store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the first department stores in the United States. At its zenith in the early 20th century, there were two major Wanamaker department stores, one in Philadelphia and one in New York City at Broadway...
in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
and R.H. Macy & Co.
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
in New York.
In 1912, the 16-story Trude Building at the southwest corner of Wabash and Randolph, was acquired and demolished, an act that was considered to be one of the first if not the first demolition of a high-rise. In its place rose the 1914 building by Graham, Burnham & Co., completing the present-day store and encompassing the entire square city block bounded by Washington, State, Wabash, and Randolph Streets.
Also, in 1914, Graham, Burnham supervised the opening of a new twenty-story Marshall Field Annex across the street at 25 East Washington, which housed "Marshall Field's Store for Men" on its first six floors. These buildings recaptured its status as the world's largest department store, its many restaurants and separate men's and women's lounges becoming an important social destination for Chicago.
Shedd continued to expand Field's wholesale business and grew its manufacturing business, buying textile mills in the South in 1911 (see Cannon Mills Company
Cannon Mills Company
The Cannon Mills Company was an American textile company founded by James William Cannon, based in Kannapolis, North Carolina. It was founded in 1888 and went bankrupt in July 2003...
) as well as overseeing the purchase of the Marshall Field Trust's interest in the business in 1917. The Field Family retained only a ten percent stake. John Shedd retired in late 1922.
First branch stores and the Frango brand
James Simpson was appointed president following Shedd's retirement. Though considered to have favored the declining wholesale division, he did expand its retail operations, first buying A. M. Rothschild & Co. at State Street and Jackson Boulevard in December 1923, which Field's operated as a discount store called "The Davis Store." In 1924, the 1893-1914 buildings that the store occupied were acquired from the Marshall Field Trust.The first branch of Marshall Field's itself opened at Market Square
Market Square (Lake Forest, Illinois)
Market Square is a shopping center located in Lake Forest, Illinois, United States, in the Chicago metropolitan area. Opened in 1916, it is notable as one of the earliest planned shopping centers, and is often cited as the first planned shopping center in the United States.Although Country Club...
in Lake Forest, Illinois
Lake Forest, Illinois
Lake Forest is an affluent city located in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The city is south of Waukegan along the shore of Lake Michigan, and is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the North Shore. Lake Forest was founded around Lake Forest College and was laid out as a town in...
in May 1928. In September 1928, its first branch in Evanston, Illinois
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
followed, later relocating to a French Renaissance-style building at Sherman Avenue and Church Street in November 1929. The Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois is a suburb bordering the west side of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is the twenty-fifth largest municipality in Illinois. Oak Park has easy access to downtown Chicago due to public transportation such as the Chicago 'L' Blue and Green lines,...
store opened in September 1929 in a building similar to the Evanston store.
Frederick & Nelson
Frederick & Nelson
Frederick & Nelson was a department store chain in the northwestern United States, based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1891 as a furniture store, it later expanded to sell other types of merchandise. The company was acquired by Marshall Field & Company in 1929...
, a Seattle, Washington-based department store founded in 1890, was also acquired in 1929, with its own 1914 building at Pine Street and Fifth Avenue. Frederick & Nelson retained its name, though their logo was soon rewritten in Field's iconic script. But more importantly for Field's history, Frederick & Nelson also brought with it the now famous Frango
Frango
Frango mints are a brand of chocolate truffles first created for the Frederick & Nelson department stores. Traditionally flavored with mint and widely popularized by the Marshall Field and Company department store, they are now produced and distributed by Macy's department stores...
mints brand that became so closely identified with Marshall Field's and Chicago. Field's candy kitchen at the State Street flagship store soon began producing the confections.
Marshall Field & Co. became a public company in 1930 just as the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
hit. The retailer needed capital due to the expense of opening the Merchandise Mart
Merchandise Mart
When opened in 1930, the Merchandise Mart or the Merch Mart, located in the Near North Side, Chicago, Illinois, was the largest building in the world with of floor space. Previously owned by the Marshall Field family, the Mart centralized Chicago's wholesale goods business by consolidating vendors...
to house its flagging wholesale division. Ground was broken in 1927 during the boom years; when the Mart opened in 1930, it was the largest building in the world. The 1887 Wholesale Store was closed and demolished at this time. But the new building, faced with a change in retail distribution and wholesale patterns in addition to the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, could not save Field's wholesale division. Simpson left the company, and James O. McKinsey
James O. McKinsey
James Oscar McKinsey was the founder of McKinsey & Company.Management theory was still in its infancy when James O. McKinsey founded the firm that bears his name in 1926...
, a University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
professor and founder of the McKinsey and Company consulting firm, was brought in to clean up the company. The wholesale division, once the core of the company was liquidated by 1936. The Davis Store was closed in 1936 as well, and its building was sold to Goldblatts. In 1939, the land underlying the main store was acquired from the Marshall Field Trust. Meanwhile, McKinsey also reorganized the company's vertically integrated operations, notably by merging the company's varied textile operations under the Fieldcrest
Cannon Mills Company
The Cannon Mills Company was an American textile company founded by James William Cannon, based in Kannapolis, North Carolina. It was founded in 1888 and went bankrupt in July 2003...
name.
Suburban expansion
Park Forest Plaza
Park Forest Plaza was a shopping center located in the planned community of Park Forest, Illinois, United States, that opened in 1949. The center was developed by Philip M. Klutznick as one of the first major regional shopping centers in the United States, and it served as the downtown to the...
opened in 1950.
In 1956, Klutznick and Field's jointly opened Old Orchard Shopping Center in Skokie, Illinois
Skokie, Illinois
Skokie is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Its name comes from a Native American word for "fire". A Chicago suburb, for many years Skokie promoted itself as "The World's Largest Village". Its population, per the 2000 census, was 63,348...
, a center Klutznick developed on land that Field's already owned; the development included a new Field's store. This was followed by the 1959 opening of a Field's store in the Mayfair Mall
Mayfair Mall
Mayfair Mall is a shopping mall located on Mayfair Road between North Avenue and Center Street in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, USA. Mayfair Shopping Center was constructed in 1958 by the Hunzinger Construction Company...
in suburban Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
, and stores at later Klutznick-led shopping centers opened at Oakbrook Center
Oakbrook Center
Oakbrook Center is an upscale super-regional shopping center located near Interstate 88 in Oak Brook, Illinois. It was originally opened in 1962 and has become the largest open-air center in the contiguous United States with over 160 stores and restaurants...
in Oak Brook, Illinois
Oak Brook, Illinois
Oak Brook is a village in DuPage and Cook Counties, in Illinois. The population was 8,702 at the 2000 census. A suburb of Chicago, it is the headquarters of McDonald's and Lions Clubs International.-History:...
in 1962 and River Oaks Center
River Oaks Center
River Oaks Center is located at the southeast corner of River Oaks Drive and Torrence Avenue in Calumet City, Illinois. River Oaks Center originally opened in 1966 and was a development of KLC Ventures, a firm that included pioneering developer Philip M. Klutznick and his son Tom...
in Calumet City, Illinois
Calumet City, Illinois
Calumet City is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 39,072 at the 2000 census. The ZIP code is 60409.Calumet City was founded in 1892 when the villages of Schrumville and Sobieski Park merged under the name of West Hammond, since it lies on the west side of the...
in 1966.
Marshall Field's acquired The Crescent department store in Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
in 1962 and in 1970 bought Halle Brothers Co.
Halle Brothers Co.
Halle Brothers Co. of Cleveland, Ohio, commonly referred to as Halle's, is a defunct department store chain. During most of time of operations, Halle's focused on higher-end merchandise, which it combined with personal service. The company was the first major department store in Cleveland to open...
, a leading department store in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. Field's also continued to expand its hometown base, opening a store at Woodfield Center
Woodfield Mall
Woodfield Mall is an enclosed super-regional shopping mall located in the northwest Chicago suburb of Schaumburg, Illinois, United States, at the intersection of Golf Road and Illinois Route 53....
in Schaumburg
Schaumburg, Illinois
Schaumburg is a city located in Cook County in northeastern Illinois. A common misspelling of the city name is Schaumberg, a spelling which persists on some modern maps. Schaumburg is located just under northwest of downtown Chicago and approximately northwest of O'Hare International Airport. As...
in 1971.
CherryVale Mall
CherryVale Mall
Cherryvale Mall is a shopping mall in Cherry Valley, Illinois, serving nearby Rockford, Illinois. Its four anchor stores are Bergner's, J. C. Penney, Macy's and Sears. CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. acquired the shopping center in 2002. Cherryvale mall has 134 stores consisting of a gross...
in Rockford
Rockford, Illinois
Rockford is a mid-sized city located on both banks of the Rock River in far northern Illinois. Often referred to as "The Forest City", Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County, Illinois, USA. As reported in the 2010 U.S. census, the city was home to 152,871 people, the third most populated...
and Hawthorn Center
Westfield Hawthorn
Westfield Hawthorn, formerly Hawthorn Center, is a shopping mall in Vernon Hills, Illinois. Its four anchor stores are Carson Pirie Scott, J. C. Penney, Macy's and Sears. The Marshall Field's store was renamed Macy's on September 9, 2006....
in Vernon Hills
Vernon Hills, Illinois
Vernon Hills is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 20,120 at the 2000 census, and estimated to be 23,957 as of 2005...
followed in 1973, and stores at Water Tower Place
Water Tower Place
Water Tower Place is a large urban, mixed-use development comprising a shopping mall and 74 story skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The complex is located at 835 North Michigan Avenue, along the Magnificent Mile. It is named after the nearby Chicago Water Tower...
in Chicago and Fox Valley Center
Westfield Fox Valley
Westfield Fox Valley, formerly Fox Valley Center, is a shopping mall in Aurora, Illinois. Its four anchor stores are Carson Pirie Scott, JCPenney, Macy's and Sears....
in Aurora
Aurora, Illinois
Aurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...
opened in 1975. The suburban expansion continued in 1976 with a location at Orland Square
Orland Square
Orland Square Mall is an upscale, enclosed shopping center in Orland Park, Illinois. It is the largest mall in the southwest suburbs of Chicago, covering an area of over 1.2 million ft². The mall has been a hub for commercial activity and development, driving dramatic growth in the surrounding...
in Orland Park
Orland Park, Illinois
Orland Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States; it also extends slightly into Will County. The population was 56,767 at the 2010 census. The office of the Assistant Village Manager, Ellen Baer, states that the Will County section of Orland Park is industrial while the Cook County...
, followed by the Louis Joliet Mall
Westfield Louis Joliet
Westfield Louis Joliet Mall, formerly/informally known as Louis Joliet Mall, is a shopping mall in Joliet, Illinois. It is located at 1118 Mall Loop Drive, Joliet. Its four anchor stores are Carson Pirie Scott, JCPenney, Macy's and Sears. The mall opened in 1978 with Sears and Marshall Field &...
store in Joliet
Joliet, Illinois
Joliet is a city in Will and Kendall Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, located southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County. As of the 2010 census, the city was the fourth-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 147,433. It continues to be Illinois' fastest growing...
in 1978. In 1979, Marshall Field's expanded into Texas with a store at The Galleria
Houston Galleria
The Galleria, stylized theGalleria, is an upscale mixed-use urban development centrally located in the Uptown District of Houston, Texas, United States. The development consists of a retail complex, as well as the Galleria Office Towers complex, two Westin hotels, and a private health club...
in Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
.
The year 1980 saw the acquisition of J.B. Ivey Co.
Ivey's
Ivey's , a former department store chain, was acquired by Dillard's, Inc. in 1990. Ivey's was based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was founded in 1900 by Joseph Benjamin Ivey.-History:...
, a department store chain with roots in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
and Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, The Union Co. in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, the Lipman's stores in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
and several Liberty House
Liberty House
Liberty House, headquartered in Honolulu, Hawaii, was a department store and specialty store chain with locations throughout the Hawaiian Islands and on Guam, as well as several locations on the mainland U.S.-History:...
stores in Washington state
Washington State
Washington State may refer to:* Washington , often referred to as "Washington state" to differentiate it from Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States* Washington State University, a land-grant college in that state- See also :...
. Field's existing Frederick & Nelson
Frederick & Nelson
Frederick & Nelson was a department store chain in the northwestern United States, based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1891 as a furniture store, it later expanded to sell other types of merchandise. The company was acquired by Marshall Field & Company in 1929...
unit in Seattle absorbed the Lipman's and Liberty House stores, but after initially merging The Union with its Halle's unit, Field's decided to sell the combined chain in November 1981; the new owners quickly liquidated it.
The early 1980s saw slower expansion, with just two store locations added - one in October 1980 at Spring Hill Mall
Spring Hill Mall
Spring Hill Mall, opened in October 1980 is a regional shopping mall in West Dundee, Illinois and Carpentersville, Illinois. Spring Hill was developed by Homart Development Company, then owned by Sears, Roebuck & Company. The mall opened with two anchors, Marshall Field & Company and Sears, Roebuck...
in West Dundee
West Dundee, Illinois
West Dundee is a village in Kane County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,975 as of July 2008.West Dundee lies across the Fox River from East Dundee and Carpentersville.-Geography:West Dundee is located at ....
, and one in 1981 at Stratford Square Mall
Stratford Square Mall
Stratford Square Mall is a shopping mall opened in 1981, located just off Army Trail Road and Gary Avenue in Bloomingdale, Illinois, a northwestern suburb of Chicago. The mall currently has six anchor tenants including Carson Pirie Scott, J. C...
in Bloomingdale
Bloomingdale, Illinois
Bloomingdale is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States, approximately 25 miles west of Chicago. The population was 21,675 at the 2000 census.-History:...
. Another Texas store opened at the Dallas Galleria, in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
in 1982.
BATUS
In 1982, Marshall Field & Co. ceased to be a public company, being acquired by B.A.T. British-American Tobacco. As part of BATUS Retail Group, the American retailing arm of B.A.T., Field's and its Frederick & Nelson, Ivey's and The Crescent department stores and the John Brueners home furnishings stores joined retailers Gimbels, Saks Fifth AvenueSaks Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue is a luxury American specialty store owned and operated by Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises , a subsidiary of Saks Incorporated. It competes in the high-end specialty store market in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, i.e. 'the 3 B's' Bergdorf, Barneys, Bloomingdale's and Lord & Taylor...
and Kohl's
Kohl's
Kohl's Corporation is an American department store chain headquartered in the Milwaukee suburb of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, operating , 1,089 stores in 49 states. In 1998, it entered the S&P 500 list, and is also listed in the Fortune 500...
. Field's continued to expand under BATUS, adding stores at Houston's Town & Country Mall
Town & Country Mall
-External links:*Gonzalez, J.R. "." Houston Chronicle. December 15, 2009.** redevelopment...
in 1983 and at the North Star Mall
North Star Mall
North Star Mall is a premier shopping mall in San Antonio, Texas with anchor tenants Dillard's, J.C. Penney, Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Forever 21, as well as over 200 specialty stores, some exclusive to the San Antonio market, including Arden B, Armani Exchange, The Cheesecake Factory,...
in San Antonio in 1986.
Only four years after buying Marshall Field's, however, BATUS scaled back its retail operations in 1986, selling Field's former subsidiaries Frederick & Nelson and The Crescent to a local investor group. Frederick & Nelson quickly deteriorated and became defunct in 1992. Its 1914 building, the one acquired by Field's in 1929, was eventually bought by Nordstrom
Nordstrom
Nordstrom, Inc. is an upscale department store chain in the United States, founded by John W. Nordstrom and Carl F. Wallin. Initially a shoe retailer, the company today also sells clothing, accessories, handbags, jewelry, cosmetics, fragrances, and in some locations, home furnishings...
; the structure was renovated and reopened in 1998 as a replacement for Nordstrom's own Seattle parent store.
BATUS closed its Gimbels division in 1986 and transferred five former Gimbels locations in Wisconsin to its Marshall Field's division: downtown Milwaukee, Northridge Mall
Northridge Mall (Milwaukee)
Northridge Mall is a defunct shopping mall located in the northern part of Milwaukee, Wisconsin that opened in 1973 and closed in 2003.-History:...
and Southridge Mall in suburban Milwaukee, Hilldale Shopping Center
Hilldale Shopping Center
Hilldale Shopping Center, also known locally as Hilldale, is a partially enclosed shopping mall in Madison, Wisconsin. Originally opened in October 1962, Hilldale has two anchor stores, Macy's and Metcalfe's Supermarket, the Sundance 608 movie theaters, and over 50 specialty stores .- History...
in Madison and in downtown Appleton
Appleton, Wisconsin
Appleton is a city in Outagamie, Calumet, and Winnebago Counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is situated on the Fox River, 30 miles southwest of Green Bay and 100 miles north of Milwaukee. Appleton is the county seat of Outagamie County. The population was 78,086 at the 2010 census...
. The former Gimbels Northridge and Southridge locations were retained within Field's for only three years; following poor performance, they were sold in 1989 to H.C. Prange Co. of Sheboygan.
The Evanston and Oak Park stores were closed in 1986, their 1929 buildings deemed out of date and too costly to operate. A major restoration and renovation of the State Street flagship store commenced in 1987.
BATUS initially kept Saks Fifth Avenue, Marshall Field's, and Ivey's; however, it sold all its remaining U.S. retail assets in 1990, with Saks going to Bahrain-based Investcorp
Investcorp
Investcorp is a manager of alternative investment products, serving high-net-worth private and institutional clients. Its principal client base is in the six countries of the Gulf Co-operation Council, but it also has institutional clients in North America and Europe...
, Ivey's sold to Dillard's
Dillard's
Dillard's, Inc. is a department store chain in the United States, with 330 stores in 29 states. Headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, Dillard's locations are concentrated in Texas and Florida; with a major presence in other states including Arizona, Iowa, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Missouri,...
, and Marshall Field's sold to then Dayton-Hudson Corporation (now Target Corporation
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
).
Dayton-Hudson, Target and May
After Dayton-Hudson Corporation acquired the Marshall Field's chain, the corporation decided to rename some of its Dayton'sDayton's
Minneapolis-based Dayton's was among the leading department stores in the United States for nearly a century after its founding in 1902 by George Draper Dayton. In 1969, the Detroit-based J.L. Hudson Company merged with the Dayton Corporation to form the Dayton-Hudson Corporation, adding 21...
and Hudson's stores as Marshall Field's; however, these stores were outside of Field's existing markets and never adopted either the corporate culture or the higher-end merchandise for which Field's had become famous. Then in 2000, Dayton-Hudson renamed itself Target Corporation
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
, having determined that Target was where more of its future growth would be and the more nationally visible division to stockholders. Target then merged the remaining Dayton's and Hudson's department stores into Marshall Field's. Some saw this as the beginning of a downward slide for Marshall Field's as Target Corporation focused more on its rapidly growing discount stores and introduced some of the brands carried there to the Marshall Field's stores, displacing some of Field's more expensive merchandise.
Finally, in 2004 Target Corporation sold the Marshall Field's chain to May Co., thereby exiting the department store business entirely. It was hoped that separating from discounter Target would improve Marshall Field's retail prospects, and that May Stores would "let Field's be Field's" and allow it to recapture its former cachet and upper-class customer base. However, May owned Field's for barely a year before it agreed in the Fall of 2005 to be acquired by Federated Department Stores, Inc.
FDS
FDS has several meanings:*Family Computer Disk System, also known as Famicom Disk System, a peripheral for the Nintendo Famicom*The ticker for FactSet Research Systems.*Fabrika duhana Sarajevo, the main tobacco factory in Bosnia and Herzegovina...
. Federated announced in February 2005 that it would use the acquisition of May, including the Field's stores, to create the nation's second-largest department store chain, with 1,000 locations.
Federated outrages Chicago fans leading to consumer boycott
On February 1, 2006, the Marshall Field's corporate division was renamed the Macy's North Division of Federated Department Stores. On September 9, 2006, all its operating stores were renamed Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
and absorbed into that chain. Although the conversion officially occurred on September 9, 2006, it was implemented gradually and in effect by early August, as signified by such events as Macy's cars entered in the Bud Billiken Day Parade
Chicago Events
This is a list of annual festivals in Chicago.- Arts and crafts festivals :* Chicago Antiques Fair* Bucktown Arts Fest* 57th Street Art Fair* Canal Street Art Fair* Gold Coast Art Fair* Wicker Park Bucktown Arts & Music Festival* Art Chicago...
, and Macy's displays in store windows.
In Chicago, Macy's move into the Marshall Field's building on State Street infuriated many residents. Over 250 protesters gathered under Marshall Field's famous clock on September 9, 2006, the day the name change was implemented and over 300 gathered once again to mark the one year anniversary of the Marshall Field's name change on September 9, 2007. Macy's reported in December 2006 slowed sales in stores that once were Marshall Field's. In November 2007, Macy's announced that it would no longer try to lure angry and upset former Marshall Field's shoppers to their stores and instead would now be trying to lure new customers into the State Street Store. Macy's hopes to do this by adding an FAO Schwarz floor and a wine bar to the Walnut Room, as well as having Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart is an American business magnate, author, magazine publisher, and television personality. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she has gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing publishing, broadcasting, and merchandising...
decorate the Christmas Tree in the Walnut Room.
On May 16, 2008 there were three Marshall Field's customers who were so outraged by Macy's decision to eliminate Marshall Field's that they attended the Macy's annual shareholder meeting and sharply questioned Macy's CEO Terry Lundgren over that move. Mr. Lundgren was told by one loyal Marshall Field's customer who was tired of being ignored, "You are pushing for 'my Macy's', but for me and most of my Chicago neighbors, I want my Marshall Field's." Marshall Field's supporters have continued to attend the annual Macy's shareholders meeting in Cincinnati in 2009 and 2010. At these meetings, CEO Terry Lundgren has maintained that former Marshall Field's locations have been successful and profitable, noting that the Walnut Room had recently experienced its most visitors since they started keeping statistics. A shareholder countered with the position that especially the State Street store could be even more successful if converted back to Marshall Field's, citing May 2010 survey results showing that 81% of Chicago shoppers still preferred Marshall Field's over Macy's while 13% preferred Macy's over Marshall Field's. (MOE=4.23%<5 %, CI = 95%)
Dozens have attended additional protest rallies that have been held "under the great clock" on September 9, 2008 and September 13, 2009.
On Sunday, September 12, 2010, another rally sponsored by FieldsFansChicago.org took place at the State Street store. And according to FieldsFanChicago, a survey that took place in May 2011, claimed that 4 out of 5 Chicago shoppers would prefer Field's to Macy's. When this information was presented to Macy’s, Inc. CEO, President and Chairman, Terry Lundgren, he maintained that Macy's still takes Chicago seriously, and used the renovation of the Water Tower Place store as a prime example.
Another "Rally for Field's" is scheduled to take place at 12 noon on Saturday, September 10, 2011 under "The Great Clock" at State & Washington.
Renovations
The Marshall Field and Company BuildingMarshall Field and Company Building
Marshall Field and Company Building or Macy's at State Street is the former flagship location of the former Marshall Field's department store and the current location of the Chicago flagship of Macy's...
at State and Washington Streets in Chicago was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1978 and is part of the Loop Retail National Historic District. The building was designated a Chicago Landmark
Chicago Landmark
Chicago Landmark is a designation of the Mayor of Chicago and the Chicago City Council for historic buildings and other sites in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Listed sites are selected after meeting a combination of criteria, including historical, economic, architectural, artistic, cultural,...
on November 1, 2005. With approximately two million square feet of available floor space, the building is the second-largest department store in the United States.
In 1987, while under BATUS ownership, Field's State Street store underwent significant restoration. In 2004, while Field's was still owned by Dayton Hudson/Target, another extensive restoration of the landmark State Street store, costing $115 million, was begun; the last of the renovation was completed after the May acquisition. The 2004 renovations included the installation of new lower-level shops, removal of steel grates from the upper portions of the store's historic light wells, and the addition of an eleven-story atrium in what had been an alley and mid-store light shaft.
In 2004, Field's also introduced significant upgrades to merchandise and the introduction of luxury vendor relationships, in which 10% of the floor space was leased to outside vendors in a manner similar to Selfridge's in London (Selfridge's was founded by former Field's executive Harry Selfridge, who based his business model on Marshall Field's; likewise, the Selfridge's building in London was based on the architecture of the Marshall Field's store).
On April 27, 2006, Macy's announced that the Marshall Field name would not be retained on the State Street store, instead renaming it "Macy's on State Street", a specialized divisional flagship store with some features unique to this single location, including the continuation of certain Marshall Field's traditions under the Macy's name. However, Macy's could not change everything: Because of the building's history and landmark status, it will forever be known as the Marshall Field and Company Building, regardless of which company occupies it.
Firsts, noted events, community leadership
That is just one among many innovations by Marshall Field's. Field's had the first European buying office, which was located in Manchester, England
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, and the first bridal registry
Bridal registry
A bridal registry is a service provided by a website or retail store to assist engaged couples in the communication of gift preferences to wedding guests. Selecting items from store stock, the couple lists desired items and files this list with the chosen merchant. The list is then made available...
. The company was the first to introduce the concept of the personal shopper, and that service was provided without charge in every Field's store, right up to the chain's last days under the Marshall Field's name. It was the first store to offer revolving credit
Revolving credit
Revolving credit is a type of credit that does not have a fixed number of payments, in contrast to installment credit. Examples of revolving credits used by consumers include credit cards. Corporate revolving credit facilities are typically used to provide liquidity for a company's day-to-day...
and the first department store to use escalator
Escalator
An escalator is a moving staircase – a conveyor transport device for carrying people between floors of a building. The device consists of a motor-driven chain of individual, linked steps that move up or down on tracks, allowing the step treads to remain horizontal.Escalators are used around the...
s. Marshall Field's book department in the State Street store was legendary; it pioneered the concept of the "book signing
Book signing
Book signing is the affixing of a signature to the title page or flyleaf of a book by its author. A book signing is an event, usually at a bookstore or library where an author sits and signs books for a period of time....
." Moreover, every year at Christmas, Marshall Field's downtown store windows were filled with animated displays as part of the downtown shopping district display; the "theme" window displays became famous for their ingenuity and beauty, and visiting the Marshall Field's windows at Christmas became a tradition for Chicagoans and visitors alike, as popular a local practice as visiting the Walnut Room with its equally famous Christmas tree or meeting "under the clock" on State Street.
Marshall Field was famous for his slogan "Give the lady what she wants." He was also famous for his integrity, character, and community philanthropy and leadership. After his death, the company remained to the very end a major philanthropic contributor to its Chicago-area community.
Field, the store he created, and his successor John G. Shedd
John G. Shedd
John Graves Shedd was the second president and chairman of the board of Marshall Field & Company.Born on a New Hampshire farm, Shedd arrived in Chicago, Illinois in 1871 and began working as a stock clerk for Marshall Field. By 1901, he had worked his way up to a vice-presidency and took over as...
, helped establish Chicago's prominence throughout the world in business, art, culture, and education. The Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
, the Field Museum of Natural History
Field Museum of Natural History
The Field Museum of Natural History is located in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It sits on Lake Shore Drive next to Lake Michigan, part of a scenic complex known as the Museum Campus Chicago...
(as renamed in 1905 for its first major benefactor), the Museum of Science and Industry
Museum of Science and Industry
MOSI may refer to:* MoSi — molybdenum silicide, an important material in the semiconductor industry* MOSI - Master Out Slave In, a signal on the Serial Peripheral Interface Bus* MOSI protocol, an extension of the basic MSI cache coherency protocol...
, the John G. Shedd Aquarium, and the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
all have been aided by the philanthropy of Marshall Field's. Marshall Field was also a major sponsor of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
.
Popular Culture
Stan FrebergStan Freberg
Stanley Victor "Stan" Freberg is an American author, recording artist, animation voice actor, comedian, radio personality, puppeteer, and advertising creative director whose career began in 1944...
's 1957 parody of "thrill-packed" TV westerns is titled Bang Gunnleigh -- U S Marshall Field's.
External links
- 1905 Magazine Article with photos
- Jazz Age Chicago (2006) Marshall Field and Company history
- Encyclopedia Britannica Comprehensive article on Marshall Field's
- Jazz Age Chicago (1997) Main store history
- Dan Skoda and his colleagues are bringing new sparkle to Marshall Field's #148, September 1995, Illinois Retail Merchants Association, April 23, 2003
- One last stroll down memory lane before big change, KARE11.com, April 5, 2006
- Field's last days Chicago Tribune series
- FieldsFansChicago.org Marshall Field's fans blog and Macy's boycott site
- Darrid.Com A Tribute to Marshall Field's
- Bring Back Marshall Field's Desiring a Return of Marshall Field's