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| During
the 1920s, as Chicago's suburbs and outlying neighborhoods became more
populous and wealthy, Marshall Field and Company followed the example of
other department stores and undertook a sizable store expansion program.
Shortly after an outlet in Lake Forest was opened, the firm began
construction on two additional suburban stores, one in Evanston and
another in Oak Park, in the hopes of retaining the patronage of their
most well-to-do customers. "They were planned," read an
article in a Marshall Field publication, "with the idea of
rendering greater service to our suburban customers who, with the rapid
growth of the city and increasing traffic, find it inconvenient to do
all their shopping in the heart of the city."
The Oak Park store was located on the northeast corner of Lake Street and Harlem Avenue and anchored the west end of the suburb's growing business district. Its formal opening took place in October of 1929. The six-floor store, built in French 17th century style, was designed to give well-heeled customers the same sense of prestige and elegance available at the firm's flagship store downtown. Once inside, Marshall Field patrons were promised nothing less than they were used to at the State Street store. The Oak Park store, it was said, "will offer exactly the same service to our customers as the main store. Merchandise will be of the same style and quality. Anything not in stock will be obtained for the customer from the downtown store."
Suggested Books · Lloyd Wendt, Give the Lady What She Wants: The Story of Marshall Field and Company (And Books, 1997, reprint of 1957 ed.). · Robert W. Twyman, History of Marshall Field and Company, 1852-1906 (Ayer Publishing, 1976). · William Leach, Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture (Vintage Books, 1994). · David M. Sokol, Oak Park, Illinois: Continuity and Change, Images of America Series (Arcadia, 2000).
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Page authored: 28
March 1997 -
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