You’ve probably seen the shot. A heavy, ornate bronze clock hanging off a granite corner, dusted with light Chicago snow or reflecting the neon buzz of State Street. It’s a classic. But honestly, capturing marshall field and company building photos is kinda like trying to photograph a ghost that refuse to leave the party. This isn't just a store; it’s a massive, 13-story block of history that basically defined how Americans shop.
Walking up to 111 North State Street today, you’ll see the Macy’s sign, sure. But look closer at the cornerstone. The name "Marshall Field and Company" is still carved right into the rock. It’s a vibe. People still flock here specifically to find those little echoes of a dead retail empire. Whether you’re a pro with a mirrorless rig or just someone trying to get a decent TikTok of the Tiffany ceiling, there’s a lot to miss if you don't know where to point the lens.
The Clocks Everyone Wants (And How to Get the Shot)
Let's talk about the "Great Clocks." There are two of them. One sits at State and Washington, and the other is up at State and Randolph. They’ve been there since 1897 and 1906, respectively. Back in the day, "Meet me under the clock" was the Chicago version of "I'll text you when I'm five minutes away."
If you want the best marshall field and company building photos of these bronze beasts, don't just stand on the sidewalk. You'll get too much bus traffic and random tourists in your frame. Instead, head across the street toward the Joffrey Tower or the old Reliance Building. The compression you get from a zoom lens across State Street makes the clock look massive against the granite facade. It’s dramatic. It’s moody.
That Insane Tiffany Ceiling
If you go inside and don't look up, you’ve failed. Seriously.
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The southwest corner of the building houses the Louis Comfort Tiffany mosaic ceiling. We’re talking 6,000 square feet of iridescent glass. Over 1.6 million individual pieces. It was finished in 1907, and it is still the largest glass mosaic of its kind in the world.
Photography tips for the ceiling:
- The Fifth Floor View: Most people take photos from the ground floor looking up through the cosmetics department. Don’t do that. Go up to the 5th floor. You get much closer to the detail and the light hits the "Favrile" glass in a way that makes it actually glow.
- Wide Angle is King: You need a wide lens to capture the curve of the vault. If you're on a phone, use the 0.5x setting.
- White Balance: The lights in the store are weirdly warm. If your photo looks like a bowl of tomato soup, manually adjust your white balance to cool it down so the blues and golds of the mosaic pop.
The Architecture You’re Probably Ignoring
Daniel Burnham designed this place. Yeah, the "Make no little plans" guy. Because it was built in stages between 1892 and 1914, the building is actually a bit of a Frankenstein’s monster of styles. The north side looks slightly different from the south side if you really stare at the granite.
The Burnham architecture is pure Beaux-Arts and Classical Revival. You’ve got these massive Ionic columns that are thirty feet tall. They support the cornice at the very top. If you’re hunting for unique marshall field and company building photos, try focusing on the textures. The white granite from Woodbury, Vermont, has a specific grain that looks incredible in high-contrast black and white shots.
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The Walnut Room and Holiday Magic
You can’t talk about this building without the Walnut Room. It opened in 1907 (originally called the South Grill Room) and it’s basically a wood-paneled time capsule.
If you’re there in November or December, it’s absolute chaos. But the Great Tree is a bucket-list photo. It’s usually 45 feet tall, hanging from the ceiling rather than sitting on the floor.
Getting a clean shot of the tree is basically impossible because of the crowds. Your best bet? Go for a "late lunch" around 3:00 PM on a Tuesday. The light through the light-well windows is softer then.
A Few Things People Get Wrong
People often call this an Art Deco building. It isn't. Not the main State Street store, anyway. That’s purely Neoclassical. However, there is an Art Deco vibe in some of the internal elevators and some later additions on the Wabash side.
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Also, the "Wholesale Store" that people often confuse with this building was a different beast entirely. That was a Henry Hobson Richardson masterpiece on Adams Street, but it was torn down in 1930. If you’re looking for historic photos to compare with your own, make sure you aren't looking at the warehouse. You want the State Street flagship.
How to Capture the Best Photos Today
- Golden Hour: State Street faces West. This means the afternoon sun hits the facade directly. Around 4:00 PM in the winter, the granite turns a warm honey color.
- The "Hidden" Atrium: Everyone goes to the Tiffany ceiling. Hardly anyone visits the 13-story skylit atrium in the northwest section. It feels much more like the original "Skyscraper" era of Chicago.
- Look for the Brass: The elevators still have incredible brass work. The "Store for Men" signs on the Wabash side are also peak vintage aesthetic.
Capturing marshall field and company building photos isn't just about the architecture. It's about the fact that this place survived the Great Chicago Fire (well, the site did), survived the death of department stores, and survived a name change that literally caused people to protest in the streets.
When you frame your shot, try to catch the "Marshall Field and Company" nameplate on the corner of the building at Randolph. It’s a small detail, but it’s the heart of the whole block.
Actionable Tips for Your Photography Walk
Start your session at the corner of State and Washington to get the iconic clock shot. Use a tripod if it's evening, but keep it low-profile so security doesn't bother you. Then, head inside to the 5th floor for the Tiffany mosaic. If the Walnut Room is too packed, head over to the Wabash side of the building—the "Store for Men" entrance has some of the most underrated architectural details in the entire Loop. Check the light-well from the upper floors for a perspective on how Burnham brought natural light into a massive city block before modern electricity was standard.