Will you take a look at this gargantuan structure! As difficult as it is to believe, what you are seeing is actually one building. The, “Merchandise Mart” was built in 1930 with a whopping 4,000,000 square feet of space. At the time, the Merchandise Mart was the largest building on the planet. The owner of the building was Marshall Field & Co.; however, the Kennedy family (yes, the JFK family) were the proprietors of the Merchandise Mart for over fifty years, having purchased the building in 1945. The building was originally used to store household products for department store buyers.
Wholesale showrooms now occupy about 50% of the floor space in the entire building. Some showrooms are open to the public, while others are restricted to wholesale buyers. The other 50% includes retail shops, a post office, and a Holiday Inn (no kidding)! Let’s see, who else hangs their proverbial hat at, “The Mart”; Chicago Sun-Times Newspaper, and the Chicago campus of the Illinois Institute of Art. Radio and television stations have also set up shop in the Merchandise Mart. Why, even the Chicago Transit Authority’s “L-Train” system has a, “Merchandise Mart” train station!
This building is so large that until 2008 it had its own zip code (postal code, post code); oh, and then it had to share its unique code with the surrounding area. There are 4,000 windows in this building. The Merchandise Mart receives approximately 20,000 visitors per day. Now, if you are thinking what I am thinking, this would lend itself (literally) very well to having one out of ever five visitors clean a window! Or, everyone can clean a window, providing extra-sparkly glass five times per day! Now that I mention it, wouldn’t that make an interesting photo op?
Upon arrival at the Merchandise Mart, please grab a cloth, window cleaner, and make your way to a window; you have 4,000 to choose from, so there’s no need to negotiate a space!
I have it on reliable authority (okay, I don’t really, but I heard it on the streets) that some of the Kennedy brothers used to throw around the ‘ol football on occasion atop of the Merchandise Mart!
Ah yes, I almost forgot to mention something. The photo at the top of this post was taken last weekend while I was on an architectural boat tour meandering down the Chicago River. So as not to end up in the drink, I didn’t stand up when taking my shot; therefore, the heads in the photo are not part of the Merchandise Mart experience; please ignore them while viewing the photo! *grin*
Love this building. Always has been one of my favorites. Thanks for featuring 🙂
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Thank you, Kimberly! I still cannot get over how large it is! And I see it all the time! *LOL* Cher xo
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Pawsome post, furiend! That would make a great kat hangout! A kat (or two) in EVERY WINDOW! Mol!😺
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*LOL* Thank you, dear!! That’s a lotta fur peeps!!! *grin* Cher xo
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MOL! We kats would love soaking up the sun in all those windows!😺
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I knowwww!!!! *grin* Cher xo
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*Trills *😺
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😉 xoxo
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😺💝🌹
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An impressive building with an impressive history Cher.. Wishing you a wonderful week.. Hugs Sue xx
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Thank you so much, dear Sue! And to you as well!! Hugs, Cher xo
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It reminds me of those outrageous showcase buildings from the Soviet era in Russia: ugly, undistinguished, big. It is getting lots of use, though, so I guess I should back off on my judgement! At least it’s not like that pyramid-like hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea, that has been in construction forever.
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Actually the Merchandise Mart has been going strong since it was built in 1930. The art deco style inside is striking. It’s a really impressive building. I had never, ever been a fan of the extra-large buildings myself until I saw inside the Merchandise Mart!
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That building is indeed massive
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It sure is!!! Cher xo
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Never seen this before, an amazing place!!
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Isn’t that crazy-huge, John? It’s really nice inside, too! Cher xo
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Great picture and background story! Thank you for posting!
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Absolutely my pleasure! Thank you so much!!! Cher xo
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Reblogged this on georgeforfun.
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4,000,000 square feet, Wow! And, JFK… interesting. Great shot from the boat tour. 🙂
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Isn’t that amazing, Amy? It’s hard to fathom, isn’t it? Yes, the JFK (Kennedy)family owning this building for decades is quite something! Ah, thanks, Amy! I wanted to get a shot without any passengers in it, but I just didn’t want to stand! *LOL* Cher xo
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Great shot of the building. The passengers in the photo made me feel like I was cruising along the architecture tours. Very cool actually. xo
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Ah, thank you so much, Amy! That is extremely thoughtful of you to say!! 🙂 🙂 Cher xo
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Oh wow – I’ve just been having a look round inside it on Google Maps street view….. thanks for posting!
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Isn’t it cool? That is a great idea!! Thank YOU!! Cher xo
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What a magnificent building. Looks like an enormous ancient temple. Great image Cher, heads and all. 🙂
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Hi Don! The first time I saw it I could hardly believe my eyes! I had never seen a building that large in Canada or anywhere else for that matter. Yes, it does look like an enormous ancient temple, doesn’t it? *LOL* Oh Don, thank you for the kind words! Glad the heads didn’t distract too much from the photo! *grin* Cher xo
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Wow! What an amazing building and history! Great photo. 🙂
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Thanks so much! It’s HUGE, isn’t it? Cher xo
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Awesome place. Great shot~
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Thank you so much, Donna!!! It is huge, isn’t it? Cher xo
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The one in LA is likewise!!
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Oh, what is it called? 🙂
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Same….
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🙂
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Spent every Saturday for many years, in the garment district buying ~
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That is really cool, Donna!!!
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Great exercise, big area to walk.
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I love LA and we went through the garment district briefly; however, it was on a tour so I didn’t get the full picture, but I did notice it went on and on and on! 🙂
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It covers an unbelievable amount of real estate. You would not believe how many parking tickets I acquired over the years~
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*LOL* It does, doesn’t it, Donna? *LOL* I can see why! It would take a while to get from one place to another, and by the time you get back to your car……ticket!!
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But it was wonderful to be there!
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Oh yes, I can see why! I absolutely LOVE LA! And Long Beach!
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Lived in LB twice. Loved it~
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That’s awesome!! 🙂 🙂
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Those were the good ole days~
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I have to visit Chicago just to visit this building.
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You should, Susanne! It is an incredible building! Cher xo
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