"Give the lady what she wants!"

It would be impossible to write a blog post about Macy’s on State Street without talking about the incredible Tiffany Dome.

Although I’ve visited Macy’s on other tours, the actual Macy’s on State Street tour, led by Barb, really gave an in-depth look at this historic icon of Chicago architecture.

As many of you may know, Macy’s was originally Chicago’s flagship department store, Marshall Field and Company. Opened in the 1880’s Marshall Field’s was known for its elegance, high quality of merchandise and courteous staff. Legend has it that one day as Marshall Field himself was strolling through the store he came upon a clerk and customer in a heated argument. Field asked the clerk what he was doing to which the clerk replied, “I am settling a complaint.” Field snapped, “No you’re not. Give the lady what she wants!”

Field wanted to give his customers an elevated, high-class experience. Not only was this achieved through Field’s insistence on great customer service, this was also conveyed through the design of the store itself. Everything about Marshall Field’s was elegant, but there was one feature which has really stood out since its unveiling in 1907: the Tiffany dome.


Tiffany dome: 6,000 sq. ft, 1.6 million pieces...WOW!

Designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany, the dome is the largest example in the world of an unbroken Tiffany mosaic glass surface. It covers more than 6,000 square feet and contains 1.6 million pieces of iridescent glass—which equals 2 pieces a square inch (wow!!). It was inlaid onsite in 18 months by 50 artisans on scaffolds under Tiffany’s direct supervision. This is truly a breathtaking hidden gem of Chicago that you must see.

In addition to the awe-inspiring Tiffany dome you’ll learn the incredible history of this historic department store including Charley’s Door, the lost staircase found during a 2003 renovation, the legendary clocks and more on this tour.

Thank you Barb for a great tour. And thank you to the Twitter, Facebook and blog followers who joined me!

Visit http://bit.ly/90usmc for upcoming departure dates for the Macy’s on State Street tour, and visit www.architecture.org/tours to see our complete tour schedule.

Then get on out there and get touring!

There's no shame being a tourist in your own city.

See you around town!
Jennifer