Marshall Field's Mosaic

This post is an installment from a trip to Chicago in June with Katrina

Each clock is  7¾ tons of cast bronze and hangs from ornamental ironwork.
Originally the clocks were black, but over time they assumed a distinctive green patina.

When in Chicago I never tire of passing Macy's, which is still Marshall Field's to me and always will be.  Towering granite columns front the 9-story structure and two massive Great Clocks punctuate the corners of the store on Randolph and Washington Streets.  The Chicago landmark has been around since 1893!

Looking up from the ground floor

Going to Marshall Field's was a Christmas event we did on occasion.  For the holidays they decorated their storefront windows, and in 1999 the theme was the 12 Days of Christmas.

Katrina in front of "Two Turtle Doves" in 1999

Installed in 1907 and designed by Louis C. Tiffany, the Tiffany dome is both the first dome to be built in favrile iridescent glass and is the largest glass mosaic of it's kind. It contains over 1.6 million pieces and covers  6,000 square feet. "Favrile" means handmade and the iridescent effect was obtained by mixing different colors of glass while hot.  If you desire a close-up view you can go up to the fifth floor, but we did not have time on that day.

Maybe one of these days we will visit Chicago again in December, but it is awfully cold in the Windy City in December!  Maybe I'll keep an eye on the weather this year and if we get a warm-up we can spend a day in the city.

Renowned as a forward-thinking manager, Marshall Field was the first major retailer to offer revolving credit; money-back guarantees and unconditional refunds; free delivery; female staffers; a European buying office; a bridal registry; in-store dining; and in-store book signings.  A few more posts from Chicago in June and then hopefully I will have some fall color to share!