Marshall Field's Wholesale Store,

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, sometimes referred to as the Marshall Field's Warehouse Store, was a landmark seven-story building designed by Henry Hobson Richardson. Intended for the wholesale business of Field's eponymously named department store, it opened on June 20, 1887, encompassing the block bounded by Quincy, Franklin, Adams and Wells Streets, near the location of the Chicago Board of Trade Building.

Architecture

The building was commissioned in 1885 by legendary merchant

Marshall Field Marshall Field (August 18, 1834January 16, 1906) was an American entrepreneur and the founder of Marshall Field's, Marshall Field and Company, the Chicago-based department stores. His business was renowned for its then-exceptional level of qua ...

. H. H. Richardson is renowned for his designs in the

Romanesque revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended t ...

style, to which he has given the name

Richardsonian Romanesque Richardsonian Romanesque is a architectural style, style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886). The revivalism (architecture), revival style incorporates 11th- and 12th-century ...

. The Marshall Field Store demonstrates his ability to adapt this style to a modern commercial premises. The building was supported by an interior framing of wood and iron, and was clad in a rusticated exterior of stonework giving the appearance of an Italian Romanesque palazzo. The exterior design, in which the windows were contained by massive Romanesque arches, gave the impression of having four levels, but in fact there were seven floors and a sunken basement. The large arches allowed for thinner structural members between them and greater window space than if the windows were set into the solid masonry.

Marshall Field and Company Marshall Field & Company (Colloquialism, colloquially Marshall Field's) was an American department store chain founded in 1852 by Potter Palmer. It was based in Chicago, Illinois and founded in the 19th century, it grew to become a large chain b ...

closed the building in 1930 after the opening of the

Merchandise Mart The Merchandise Mart (or the Merch Mart, or the Mart) is a commercial building in Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, Illinois. When it opened in 1930, it was the List of largest buildings, world's largest building, with of floor space. The Art De ...

, then the world's largest building, which consolidated all company wholesale business under a single roof. The wholesale store was torn down later in that same year.

References

Wholesale Store Commercial buildings completed in 1887 Demolished buildings and structures in Chicago Former buildings and structures in Chicago Henry Hobson Richardson buildings Retail buildings in Illinois Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in Illinois Buildings and structures demolished in 1930 {{Chicago-struct-stub

Architecture

See also

References