Free previewStop 7 of Chicago Christmas Walk: Magnificent Mile Lights to the Christkindlmarket
Notes on the Glass, Then a Clock
You're on State Street in the Loop, in front of the granite block that Chicagoans still call Marshall Field's, even though the name changed to Macy's in 2006. Look along the row of big display windows at street level. Then find the corner at Washington Street, and the heavy bronze clock hanging off the building. The windows and that clock belong to the same story.
Marshall Field took over this business in 1881. He ran it on a simple deal: prices were posted in plain sight, so nobody haggled, and if you weren't happy, you got your money back. His slogan was "Give the lady what she wants." By the 1880s, Field's was one of the three largest retailers in the country.
Then came the clock. On November 26, 1897, the Great Clock went up on this corner, weighing more than seven tons.
That's the opening. The rest plays at stop 7 of Chicago Christmas Walk: Magnificent Mile Lights to the Christkindlmarket (2 min in all). Unlock the tour to hear it all, or try stop 1 free first.
