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Merchandise Mart

Merchandise Mart, an imposing building at the north bank of the Chicago river between Wells and Orleans street, was built in 1931.
Merchandise MartLargest Building in the World
At that time, when it was constructed by Marshall Field and Company to replace H.H. Ricardson's Marshall Field Wholesale store, it was the building with the largest floor area in the world.
That title was taken in 1941 by the Pentagon in Washington, DC, but the Merchandise Mart is still an immense office building with 13.6 km of corridors; it is still the largest commercial building in the world with 25 floors high and two city blocks long.

Renovation
Merchandise MartThe complex was renovated between 1986 and 1991 and now contains a shopping mall on the first two floors. The rest of the building contains showrooms where design professionals choose home and office furnishings.

Guided tours of the Merchandise Mart are available; for info see their website.




Quick Info
Location
222 Merchandise Mart Plaza
Subway
Merchandise Mart (brown, purple)
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