elevator doors, lobby of The Merchandise Mart, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Image details
Contributor:
B.O'Kane / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
EXA1HAFile size:
48.2 MB (4 MB Compressed download)Releases:
Model - no | Property - noDo I need a release?Dimensions:
3315 x 5080 px | 28.1 x 43 cm | 11.1 x 16.9 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
16 April 2015Location:
222 Merchandise Mart Plaza, 60654, Chicago, Illinois, USAMore information:
The Merchandise Mart was designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst and White. 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 4, 000, 000 square feet (372, 000 m2) of floor space. Previously owned by the Marshall Field family, the Mart centralized Chicago's wholesale goods business by consolidating vendors and trade under a single roof. Massive in its construction, and serving as a monument to early 20th century merchandising and architecture, the art deco landmark anchors the daytime skyline at the junction of the Chicago River branches. With upper levels bathed in colored floodlight, the structure stands out against darker downtown buildings in night views. The building continues to be a leading retailing and wholesale destination, hosting 20, 000 visitors and tenants per day. The Merchandise Mart is so large that it has its own zip code (60654). Started in 1928, completed in 1931, and built in the same art deco style as the Chicago Board of Trade Building, its cost was reported as both $32 million and $38 million. The building was the largest in the world in terms of floorspace, but was surpassed by The Pentagon in 1943, and now stands twenty-fifth on the list of largest buildings in the world.