Marshall Field's
Historic Chicago department-store brand known for retail innovation, luxury merchandising, and its State Street flagship.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
Marshall Field's, formally Marshall Field & Company, was an American department-store business whose history was closely associated with Chicago's commercial development. Its origins date to 1852, when Potter Palmer opened a dry-goods store on Lake Street. Marshall Field joined the business in 1865 with Levi Z. Leiter, and the enterprise subsequently became Field, Palmer, Leiter & Company and then Field, Leiter & Company. Field ultimately acquired Leiter's interest and renamed the company Marshall Field & Company in 1881. The business survived repeated disruption during Chicago's rapid nineteenth-century growth. Its original premises were destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of October 1871, but employees rescued merchandise and records, allowing wholesale operations to resume within weeks and retail operations soon afterward. The company moved through temporary and rebuilt premises before returning to the State and Washington Street location. These successive buildings developed into one of the most prominent department-store complexes in the United States. Marshall Field's combined a large wholesale operation with an increasingly important retail business. The wholesale division supplied merchants across the central and western United States, benefiting from Chicago's railroad and Great Lakes connections. The retail store, by contrast, became known for an imposing architectural setting, carefully presented merchandise, restaurants, lounges, and service practices intended to make shopping a social and cultural experience. Under retail executive Harry Gordon Selfridge, the store adopted features associated with the modern department store, including stronger merchandising presentation and customer-oriented services. Selfridge later left Chicago and founded Selfridges in London. The State Street flagship expanded repeatedly from the late nineteenth century through the early twentieth century. Buildings and annexes eventually occupied much of the block bounded by State, Washington, Wabash, and Randolph Streets. The complex included the Great Clock and a celebrated favrile-glass ceiling designed with Louis Comfort Tiffany. Its scale, architecture, restaurants, and separate facilities for men and women made the store a major Chicago landmark. The Marshall Field and Company Building on State Street is recognized for its importance in American retail history and later became a Macy's store while retaining historic Marshall Field's fixtures and nameplates. After Marshall Field died in 1906, John G. Shedd led the company through another period of construction and expansion. The business also maintained wholesale and manufacturing interests, including textile-related operations. In the 1920s, management expanded the retail portfolio through branch and discount-store activity, including the acquisition of A. M. Rothschild & Co., which was operated as the Davis Store. The company later developed a broader regional presence through stores and acquisitions in the Midwest. Marshall Field's remained an important Midwestern department-store name through the twentieth century, selling apparel, accessories, furniture, household goods, cosmetics, food, and specialty merchandise. Its reputation rested on quality, service, presentation, and the symbolic importance of the Chicago flagship. The brand's identity was also connected to the Frango confectionery line, which became one of its best-known proprietary products. Macy's, Inc. acquired the Marshall Field's business in 2005. In 2006, Macy's converted the stores to the Macy's name, ending Marshall Field's operation as a retail brand. The former State Street flagship continues as a Macy's location and preserves significant elements of the historic store, but Marshall Field's itself is no longer an active operating brand.
History
Marshall Field's began as P. Palmer & Company, a dry-goods store opened by Potter Palmer in Chicago in 1852. Marshall Field arrived in the city in 1856 and entered the dry-goods trade. He and Levi Z. Leiter became partners in the early 1860s, then joined Palmer's business in 1865. Palmer withdrew from the retail partnership in 1867, while Field and Leiter continued under the Field, Leiter & Company name. The firm built an important State Street presence, including the building known as the Marble Palace. The Great Chicago Fire destroyed the store in October 1871. Employees moved merchandise and records to safety, and the company reopened temporary wholesale and retail operations within weeks. Rebuilding and further fires led to several relocations and reconstructions before the business permanently re-established its principal State Street site in 1879. Field bought out Leiter in 1881 and renamed the enterprise Marshall Field & Company. During the late nineteenth century, the company developed two related businesses: a large wholesale division serving merchants throughout the central and western United States, and an increasingly prestigious retail store in downtown Chicago. The wholesale business benefited from Chicago's transportation links, while the retail business used architecture, displays, services, restaurants, and specialty departments to distinguish itself. Harry Gordon Selfridge became associated with the retail operation in 1887 and helped advance modern department-store practices. Expansion accelerated around the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. The company added buildings and annexes, installed its first Great Clock in 1897, and created a large retail complex facing State Street and Wabash Avenue. A major building opened in 1902, further construction followed in 1906 and 1907, and the 1914 buildings completed the block-scale flagship. The complex became notable for its size, restaurants, lounges, men's and women's facilities, and elaborate architectural details, including a Tiffany-designed favrile-glass ceiling. Marshall Field died in 1906 and John G. Shedd succeeded him as the company's leading executive. Shedd continued the construction program and expanded wholesale and manufacturing interests. In 1913, the company was questioned during an Illinois Senate investigation into the low wages paid to women working in major department stores. The hearing highlighted the importance of female sales staff to department-store retailing while also drawing attention to unequal pay, limited advancement, and gender segregation. The company expanded its retail structure after Shedd's retirement. Under James Simpson, it acquired A. M. Rothschild & Co. in 1923 and operated that business as the Davis Store, a discount-oriented format. Marshall Field's later became a regional department-store operator with a broad assortment spanning apparel, home goods, furnishings, cosmetics, food, and specialty merchandise. Frango chocolates became a prominent product associated with the brand. Macy's, Inc. acquired Marshall Field's in 2005 and changed the stores to Macy's in 2006. The rebranding ended Marshall Field's as an active retail chain. The historic State Street building remains a major Chicago landmark and operates as a Macy's flagship, retaining historic Marshall Field's nameplates, fixtures, and architectural features.
- 2006
The Marshall Field's name is retired
[1]Stores are converted to Macy's, although the State Street flagship retains historic Marshall Field's features.
- 2005
Macy's, Inc. acquires the business
[1]The Marshall Field's chain is acquired by Macy's, Inc.
- 1923
The Davis Store is acquired
[1]Marshall Field's acquires A. M. Rothschild & Co. and operates it as the Davis Store.
- 1914
The modern State Street complex is completed
[1]A new building and a men's-store annex complete the large flagship complex around the State Street block.
- 1906
Marshall Field dies
[1]Field's death marks a leadership transition, with John G. Shedd becoming the company's president.
- 1901
The private partnership is incorporated
[1]Marshall Field & Company changes from a private partnership into an incorporated business.
- 1897
The first Great Clock is installed
[1]Marshall Field's installs its first iconic street clock at State and Washington Streets.
- 1887
Wholesale and retail operations expand
[1]The Richardson-designed wholesale store opens, while Harry Gordon Selfridge takes a leading role in the retail business.
- 1881
Marshall Field & Company is established
[1]Field buys out Leiter and gives the company the name by which it became widely known.
- 1871
The Great Chicago Fire destroys the store
[1]Employees rescue merchandise and records, enabling the company to reopen temporary wholesale and retail operations soon afterward.
Products and positioning
Mid-to-high-end department store combining quality merchandise, formal service, architectural spectacle, and a strong Chicago civic identity.
Confectionery
Frango
Frango was a signature confectionery line associated with Marshall Field's. The brand became particularly identified with chocolates sold through the department-store business and helped extend Marshall Field's identity beyond apparel and household retail into giftable food and specialty merchandise.
Department-store retail · 1852
Marshall Field's State Street flagship
The State Street flagship was the brand's most important retail offering and public symbol. Its departments covered apparel, accessories, home goods, furnishings, cosmetics, food, and specialty merchandise. Restaurants, lounges, architectural details, and the Great Clock made the store a destination as well as a place to purchase goods.
Men's apparel retail · 1914
Marshall Field's Store for Men
The men's-store format occupied the lower floors of the 1914 annex at 25 East Washington Street. It formed part of the company's effort to organize the large flagship around specialized departments and dedicated customer facilities.
Discount department store · 1923
Davis Store
After acquiring A. M. Rothschild & Co. in 1923, Marshall Field's operated the business as the Davis Store. It represented the company's move beyond its traditional prestige flagship toward a more discount-oriented retail format.
Controversies
1913
Illinois Senate wage investigation
Marshall Field's representatives were questioned in an Illinois Senate investigation into wages paid to women at large department stores. The proceedings focused on very low pay, limited mobility, and gender segregation, despite the central role female sales employees played in serving customers and driving retail sales.
Brand decisions
2005
Sell the business to Macy's, Inc.M&ABackground
Marshall Field's was operating as a major Midwestern department-store brand when Macy's, Inc. acquired the business.
Action taken
Macy's, Inc. purchased the Marshall Field's chain.
Aftermath
The stores were converted to Macy's in 2006, ending Marshall Field's as an active retail brand.
1923
Enter discount-oriented retail through the Davis StoreStrategyBackground
Management sought to expand the company's retail operations beyond the established downtown flagship.
Action taken
Marshall Field's acquired A. M. Rothschild & Co. and operated it as the Davis Store.
Aftermath
The acquisition added a more discount-oriented format to the company's retail portfolio.
1881
Rename the partnership as Marshall Field & CompanyStrategyBackground
Marshall Field acquired Levi Z. Leiter's interest after the earlier Field, Leiter & Company partnership.
Action taken
The business adopted Marshall Field & Company as its corporate name.
Aftermath
The name became the foundation of the later Marshall Field's retail brand.
Recent events
- 2006
Marshall Field's stores are converted to Macy's[1]
Leadership change
The Marshall Field's name was removed from operating stores as the locations adopted the Macy's brand. The State Street flagship retained historic Marshall Field's elements.
- 2005
Marshall Field's is acquired by Macy's, Inc.[1]
M&A
Macy's, Inc. acquired the Marshall Field's department-store business, beginning the process that led to the retirement of the historic retail name.
Sources1 sources
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