Chicago Merchandise Mart - Essay Example

Chicago Merchandise Mart Contents 3 The Chicago Merchandise Mart 4 Fig Exterior of the Chicago Mart (http://expressmilwaukee.com/blog-644-green-is-good...greening-is-better.html). 5 Construction 5 Materials of Construction 6 The Labor Force 6 Culture and the Society in Chicago as Depicted by the Mart 7 Architecture 9 The Interior Design 10 Modernization of the Mart 10 The Environment 12 Exterior Lighting 12 Fig. 2: Exterior lighting of the Chicago Mart (http://highrisefacilities.com/worlds-largest-leed-certified-building-the-merchandise-mart-earns-leed-eb-om-gold-certification/) 13 Function of the Mart 13 If the Mart Was Built Today 14 Works Cited 16 Abstract The Merchandise Mart is a business building that is situated in Near North Side in Chicago, Illinois, the United States of America. By 1930, when it was officially opened, it was the world’s largest building. It had 4,000,000 square feet of the floor space. The building was built by the Marshall Field & Co. The Kennedy Family later owned the building for more than fifty years. The building, simply known as the Mart was able to centralize the wholesale goods from Chicago and other businesses by developing the architectural and the interior design of just a single roof. The Mart has since been roofed with several enterprises like the shops, the Chicago Campus of Illinois Institute of Arts. The Chicago Merchandise Mart The building houses the Chicago Tech Startup Center. Massive in its structure, and having served as a monument up to early 20th century, the landmark of the art deco anchors the skyline at the Chicago River junction. With its upper levels covered with the colored flood lights, the building stands out opposite the dark parts of the town in the night views. The structure is the leading outlet for retailing and whole selling of goods and services in Chicago. The Mart is vast to the extent that by the year 2008, it had its ZIP Code, which is 60654. The environs now share the ZIP Code (Zimmerman 63). In 2010, the Mart launched its Design Center Showrooms and was made available to the public; this had never been done before. Hence, many people have experienced the unique taste of architecture that was used in crafting and building of the Chicago Merchandise Mart on regular visits to the Design Showrooms. Fig. 1: Exterior of the Chicago Mart (http://expressmilwaukee.com/blog-644-green-is-good...greening-is-better.html). Construction On August 16, 1928, James Simpson, and the Chicago Plan Commission chair, along with a renowned architect, Ernest Graham, turned the initial shovels to mark the beginning of the construction (The Merchandise mart). Simpson was the president of the Marshall Field & Co., and his tenure was from 1923 to 1930 while Chairmans was between 1926 and 1935. John Griffins & Sons, the general contractor, adopted the machine era by using the techniques that were often and ordinarily used during the construction of larger dams. Cement was brought by boats and was always lifted to the bins that stood at 75 feet or 20 m above the level of ground using compressed air (History - The Merchandise Mart). The gravel and the sand utilized in the construction of this historical monument were taken to the building site via delivery railroad vehicles and conveyor belts. The sand and gravel would then be transferred using numerous elevators that had been deployed at the construction site. The wet concrete was provided by colossal mixers in order to skip hoists within the vertical towers which were always being extended with the rising height of the building. The construction of the Mart began by employing about 2,500 laborers to work at the site (History -The Merchandise Mart). The trend of recruiting more laborers continued to the point where there were approximately 5,700 workers. During the Great Depression that rocked the economy of the United States of America, the construction of the Chicago Merchandise Mart endured the one and a half years of economic crisis as well within that time. Materials of Construction The building had a foundation footprint which had almost two city block squares. It required approximately 29 million bricks, plumbing of 40 miles, and wiring of 380 miles and nearly 4,000,000 cubic yards of concrete. Besides, the Mart needed 200,000 cubic feet of stone and about 4,000 windows. 60,000 tons steel was fabricated and provided by the Bethlehem Steel. The approximate 7.5 miles of corridors plus thirty elevators were added in the construction of the Chicago Merchandise Mart. Girders and most supplies were lifted to the upper section of the structure by application of the pulley system (History - The Merchandise Mart). Machines and the cranes often used today were not available at that time leaving the pulleys and the air combustion system as the only options. The construction of the Mart involved methods, tools and equipments that are not different from the ones that are presently used today. This is because the building was erected in the 20th century, and therefore much of the innovativeness and the techniques used were applied just like they would be implemented in the modern world today. The vehicles that were mostly used for transportation had relatively smaller carrying capacities than the one used today. Hence, there was a lot of time taken in the carriage of materials to the construction site. The tools required for the Mart were not in any way different to the ones used nowadays (History - The Merchandise Mart). The only distinction is that the laborers of the late 1920s lacked advanced power tools that are currently present and, therefore, predominantly dwelt on manual labor. The Labor Force By 1928, the labor force in Chicago was at its peak and was very strong. In the initial year of construction, the impact of the Great Depression was not severe in Chicago (Soucek 100). It had not hit the city. Therefore, the number of people looking for jobs was many. Despite that, the Mart was to be the largest building in the world, and probably the tallest, people were not afraid of taking such a challenge. The group of people that lived at that time was driven by the urge of gaining income and thus the risk associated with constructions of such fortified buildings did not make them shy away. The site of construction proved to be safe for the laborers. Records of history do not reveal cases of casualties from the building. Due to the nature of the building that is, its large size and complexity, its parts were constructed by different contractors but all under the Marshall Field & Co. The workforce, therefore, originated from distinct fields and had different specialists all aiming at making the Mart be desired. The construction faced challenges during Great Depression for about a year and a half. There were close to 5,700 workers who needed to be paid with the then limited funds (Marchitecture). Building materials, tools, and equipments were increasingly becoming expensive. There were instances of go-slows by workers due to delayed payments. All these slowed down the progress of construction. Culture and the Society in Chicago as Depicted by the Mart The designing and the construction of the Chicago Merchandise Mart and the whole picture its structure at large depicts and reflects the way of life of the people that lived in Chicago at that time (History - The Merchandise Mart). This is to say that Mart is a mirror of the culture and society in Chicago as early as in the early 1920s. The prolonged influence and the entire impact of this building are attributed to the undisputed fact that the Mart was predominantly a symbol of its construction era. It also reflected the renowned American mentality that is anchored on surplus and competition. During the period of the development of the Mart, globally, people were intrigued and attracted by skyscrapers (History - The Merchandise Mart). They found towers that were ideally built faster and taller glamorous. Every construction thrived to outsmart and outdo the previously erected buildings or the buildings that were being built at that particular moment (Marchitecture). This was the mind of the inhabitants of Chicago as at that era. This also implies that publicity was proliferated in the press in cases where taller buildings were being or had been constructed. Consequently, there was intense competition and rivalry to build the largest and the tallest buildings (History - The Merchandise Mart). This reality quickly dawned and impacted on the Marshall Field & Co. and the Chicago Plan Commission. They realized that having the Mart erected as the largest building that had ever been seen would bring in hand many benefits apart from winning them bragging rights in Chicago and Illinois at large. The building emerged in an era of the technical marvel with regards to constructions and a time when better ideas, innovations and techniques sprung in the development world in America. It should be noted that the American culture is not complete without buildings. Architecture is widely emphasized in America and is a significant aspect of the way of life of the Americans. The initial plan was to have the Mart erected as the largest and probably the tallest to surpass the designs of the buildings that were due to constructions or had been constructed during that era (History - The Merchandise Mart). They posted spies to find out critical details about other buildings so as to ensure that they outsmarted them. As it is said, constructions were highly competitive at this time. This also meant that they had to be discrete about their plans and thus ensured that the people at the helm of construction were trustworthy to prevent leakage of information to their rivals (Marchitecture). It was always common to see buildings moving at one storey after the other because of the immense competition. The people of Chicago viewed commercial activities as the primary driver of their economy. Goods and services were being sold in small and large scales by retailers and whole sellers. Business thrived in Chicago entirely. The state government provided market regulations for easier trade. Besides, it also created and established public markets where traders sold their goods and services. There was an urgent need to expand the markets and improve them as well. Therefore, this became an opportune moment for private investors to come up with trading centers. The Chicago Merchandise Mart plans of construction resulted from this. The building would be strictly commercial and house so many trading activities in Chicago and thousands of traders and shops so as to reduce the congestion in public trading centers and offer better market services. The building was meant to be a solution to business and business people in Chicago upon its completion. Architecture The deco styling of the building was influenced by three buildings and was done by a designer known as Alfred Shaw (History- The Merchandise Mart). The three buildings were the warehouse, the skyscraper, and the department store. The Warehouse block is a huge 18 storey building. The windows are made of ribbon piers. This also applies to the chamfered corners of the building. Reduced setbacks and the corner pavilions hide the edges and reduce the bulk visually. The pavilions on the southern part of the building have greater heights than those of the North Corner. The pedestrian level of the building is open and has bronze frames of the display windows. This is also true of the department store which lies on the Southeastern boundaries. A central tower of 25 storey ascend as its peak forms what looks like a skyscraper, and it rests in the south hemisphere of the building towards the east. Portals that are deeply recessed are found between the panels that are permanently raised and have been adorned using medallions that feature initials of the Merchandised Mart in an interlocked manner (History- The Merchandise Mart). The logo appears throughout the building. The tower’s crown is circled by 56 American Indian Chiefs. This is an accurate reference of the history of the site and the Chicago’s engagement with trade that has lasted for centuries. The terra cotta figures are of 3.5 feet by 7 feet tall and are barely visible when in the streets of Chicago. These symbols were initially meant to be seen when standing on the upper floors that are in the skyscrapers that were intended to rise along Chicago River banks. The Interior Design The Chicago Merchandise Mart lobby is described by the 8 square marble piers and the storefronts that occur inside aisle and are framed in bronze trim that is embossed (History- The Merchandise Mart). The terrazzo floor that is green and also orange was initially meant to be the carpet. Square patterns and stripes are seen to be bordered by an over scaled chevrons that are laid inside with the initials of the Mart (History- The Merchandise Mart). The theme created by the chevron continues in the column and produces a light of ornamented cornice overhead. Often known as the "business boulevards" two corridors that have a width of 650 feet and terrazzo floor in their upper levels contain a window display of 6.5 miles (History- The Merchandise Mart). The regulation of the building strictly specified these corridors, exhibition space that is on the fourth floor, the elevator halls and the five acres of every upper floor to be made of concrete floors. Modernization of the Mart Modernization of the Chicago Mart was done in the 1950s and the 1960s (Britannica Online). The 56 Indian Chiefs were removed and replaced with plates of concrete by 1961. This is because the skyscrapers never rose to be seen at the Northern part of Chicago River as was expected earlier. Plenty of carvings were discovered in the suburban backyard and were subjected to auctioning in 2014. An entrance canopy had to be constructed in 1962 with the intention of vehicle use on the Southern parts of the Mart. Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill, in 1977, designed the now established Chicago Apparel Center, which is situated on the western side of the streets of Orleans. The Chicago Apparel Center increased the floor space of Chicago Merchandise Mart to about 6,200,000 square feet. The use of the buildings plazas, esplanades, and the employed waterfront is availed for the pleasure of the pedestrians. Helmut Jahn also designed and established a pedestrian walking bridge that is enclosed over the Orleans Streets. The bridge connected the Mart and the Chicago Apparel Center and was constructed in1988. The modernization that occurred up to the late 1980s lasted for ten years and is approximated to have cost $100 million. In 1989, the Beyer Blinder Belle Commission was set up in order to create perimeter entrances and to ensure that the window displays are restored at the main entrance and the lobby (History- The Merchandise Mart). The drive through canopy that existed on the south façade was eliminated, and there was the addition of two smaller doorways that were kept aside. The display windows that had been painted in the early modernization period were restored by using clear glass purposely to showcase the wares of the merchants. New pivotal corner entrances were included to the rear facade (History- The Merchandise Mart). The loading dock which had previously occupied the greater north part of the first floor was also removed so that the bottom deck of the North Bank Drive could be easily used. Improvements done in the lobby encompassed the restoring of the initial glass curtain wall at the entrance. The Environment The Mart dominates the skyline towards the south endings of Near North Side (Marchitecture). It lies adjacently to the south of gallery district just in Franklin Streets on the terminus in the south. At the northern part of the building, there are eateries and many nightclubs on the Hubbard Street. The Kinzie Chophouse, which is a common destination for politicians and many celebrities, is located on the north-western corner of the Wells and Kinzie. The Mart. Chicago Varnish Company, which has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, currently hosts the Harry Caray’s restaurant is situated in the eastern part of Kinzie Street. Chicago School of Professional Psychology and the DRITT Environmental Solutions are also located on the same streets. The reason the Mart does not form a rectangular shape is because it was constructed after Bascule Bridges had been established on Chicago River. Wells Street Bridge control house is located on the lower level and the corner to the south of the building (Marchitecture). Franklin Street Bridge is located at the junction of Franklin Streets and Orleans Street in the Southwest corner of the Mart. The Mart is situated on a similar angle as the Franklin Street when it is viewed from the Southeastern parts of Orleans Streets towards the Northwestern side. Exterior Lighting The central corner and the tower of the Mart are characterized by a heritage of lighting. The columns situated between the setback windows are covered with white lights that focus upwards (The Merchandise Mart). Tradition demands that there is annual changes of the light colors to green in the mid of March for commemoration and celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. The lights are also expected to change in the fall months to orange purposely for Halloween and Thanksgiving. Renowned events have seen the behemoth lit in pink color particularly for the Cancer Awareness Month (The Merchandise Mart). In 2006 when the Chicago Bears had an outstanding season that was marked by reaching the Super Bowl XLI, the Mart was lit with the colors of the team. The orange floodlights were used in the setbacks as the blue colored lights were used for the towers. Green and red lights are always employed in December for the Christmas season. The lights at nighttime of the building matches the antenna colors that light on Sea Towers and the John Hancock Center. They also match the colors applied on the topmost floors of the Aon Center. Fig. 2: Exterior lighting of the Chicago Mart (http://highrisefacilities.com/worlds-largest-leed-certified-building-the-merchandise-mart-earns-leed-eb-om-gold-certification/) Function of the Mart The Chicago Merchandise Mart is mostly used for commerce. 50% of the Mart is occupied by wholesale showrooms (Marchitecture). Sultan of Brunei used $1.6 million to furnish his palace citing that the location had become the only place that saw tasks being accomplished within just a week. The select showrooms are only preserved for wholesale traders. The others are allowed to access the general public. The building has usable rooms that give the customers or clients an opportunity of comparing form and the function that exists between applications and the manufacturers. Part of the store provides goods for single buying or as a bunch while others provide designed services, renovation, preservation, and installation. In 1991, a shopping area for retailing was opened. It was named as The Shops at the Mart. It includes beauty services, apparel stores, newsstands, and bookshops. The store also houses financial services, travel and telecommunication services, food and wine shops and the United States Postal Service Chicago headquarters. The Mart has been a home to trade fairs as early as the 1960s (Marchitecture). The yearly National Exposition of Contract Furnishing that is also called the NeoCon has been hosted in the building as from 1969. This trade fair often has over 1,000 exhibitors bringing in commercial furnishings. It boasts of over 50,000 attendees and is undisputedly the largest trade show in America. The Art Chicago has also been hosted in the Mart since 2006. The Chicago Market, which is a quarterly trade show, is also held in the building. If the Mart Was Built Today The construction the Chicago Merchandise Mart began in 1928. The chronology of time has it that it is almost a century since the foundation of this historical monument was put on the ground. Nevertheless, there exist only a few distinctions with the modern day buildings and skyscrapers. The techniques that were applied in the construction of the building do not differ from the modern day ones. The materials used at that time are still predominantly used in modern day constructions. In 2014, the world advanced very much in technology. There are new machinery and tools that are being used in construction sites. For example, instead of pulleys and the air compressors that were used to lift materials in the era of the development of the Mart, there are construction cranes that have been popularized and are deemed more efficient. They have greater carrying capacities and can also be used at greater heights. Materials can thus be transferred more quickly to higher elevations than in the late 1920s. The transportation equipment and machinery have also improved. 1920s was characterized by trips in subtle truck that were slow and had a smaller carrying capacity. Presently, the construction of the building would benefit from a lot of changes. There are improvements in the transport sector where large and efficient trucks are being used. Building parts are transferred to the site after re-fabrication and reassembled which makes the work easier. The location of the Mart in the City of Chicago would have ushered in more advantages if it were to be built today. The construction would benefit from the effective transport in the city and accessibility to equipments, tools, and materials. Besides, the Chicago River would have provided the needed amount of water for construction. The powerful tools in 2014 are far much efficient than those in the 1920s. This would be advantageous in constructing a building of this magnitude. The emergence of computers would be very significant in the construction of the building today. There are so much that can be done in little time today using computers that the contractors in the 1920s could not do. Drafting and estimation are possible without much use of the brain and the pencil like in the last era. Works Cited "History - The Merchandise Mart." History - The Merchandise Mart. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. . "Marchitecture | Building of The Mart." Marchitecture | Building of The Mart. Web. 16 Dec. 2014. . "Merchandise Mart (building, Chicago, Illinois, United States)." Britannica Online. Britannica. Web. 16 Dec. 2014. . "The Merchandise Mart, Chicago." Chicago Architecture Info. Web. 16 Dec. 2014. .. "The Merchandise Mart Is Worlds Largest LEED Certified Building - High Rise Facilities." High Rise Facilities. 2 June 2013. Web. 16 Dec. 2014. . Zimmerman, Karla. Chicago: City Guide. 5th ed. London: Lonely Planet, 2008. Print. Read More