MAGNIFICENT MILE

The 'Magnificent Mile' is a portion of North Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois extending from the border of the Chicago Loop and the Near North Side community area at the Michigan Avenue Bridge over the Chicago River to Oak Street. Magnificent Mile Stamper, John W. It serves as a conjunction between Chicago's Gold Coast and its downtown.Stamper, John M., "Chicago's North Michigan Avenue," University of Chicago Press, 1991, inner cover, ISBN 0-226-77085-0
Real estate developer Arthur Rubloff of Rubloff Company gave the nickname to one of the city's most prestigious residential and commercial thoroughfares in the 1940s. It includes some of the world's finest restaurants, hotels, and stores and several of the tallest buildings in the World. In addition, numerous prestigious buildings are located along the Magnificent Mile, such as the Wrigley Building and the John Hancock Center, places listed on the National Register of Historic Places such as The Old Chicago Water Tower District and Chicago Landmarks such as Tribune Tower and the Allerton Hotel.

Contents

History

Today

Overview

Seasonal events

Malls

Intersections

Gallery

Notes

External links

History

After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, State Street (anchored by Marshall Field's) in the downtown Loop was the city's retailing center. Shopping Districts and Malls Bennett, Larry The convenience of mass transit including streetcars and elevated trains, supported a retail corridor along State Street from Lake Street to Van Buren. By the 1920s commuter suburbs began to have significant retail districts. Prior to the bascule bridge construction, swing bridges across the river were open for ship traffic during half the daylight hours. Infrastructure Cain, Louis P. The Rush Street Bridge was the swing bridge for this area.Stamper, John M., "Chicago's North Michigan Avenue," University of Chicago Press, 1991, pg. 4, ISBN 0-226-77085-0 The opening of the Michigan Avenue Bridge in 1920 created a new commercial district. After 1950, suburban development reduced the role of the Loop's daily significance to many Chicagoans as downtown retail sales slipped. However, the Magnificent Mile kept a luxury shopping district close to the central business district. The Loop Danzer, Gerald A.
The Magnificent Mile was actually part of Daniel Burnham's Plan of Chicago. It was constructed during the 1920s to replace Pine Street, which had formerly been lined with factory and warehouses near the river and fine mansion and rowhouse residences farther north. The earliest building constructions varied in style, but challenged new heights in construction.
After the Great Depression and World War II, Arthur Rubloff and William Zeckendorf bought or controlled most of the property along this stretch of the avenue and supported a plan by Holabird & Root construct new buildings and renovation of old ones that took advantage of new zoning laws. Soon the property values driven by the luxury shopping districts were pricing out the nearby artists of Towertown, just south west of the Chicago Water Tower.^[1] Having acquired most of the rights to property along the Magnificent Mile at Depression-level prices, Rubloff and Zeckendorf successfully developed and promoted the area until it became one of the most prestigious addresses of the city. That distinction continues to hold today, and spurred the continuing erection of more high-rise apartments and new investment along the Magnificent Mile and throughout the Near North Side. Near North Side Seligman, Amanda
The opening of the 74-story Water Tower Place in 1975 marked the return of Chicago to retailing prominence. By 1979, the State Street corridor commercial corridor had lost its commercial vitality and was closed to street traffic for renovation including sidewalk widening until 1996.

Today

Overview

Today, the Magnificent Mile contains a mixture of upscale department stores, restaurants, luxury retailers, residential and commercial buildings, financial services companies and hotels, and caters primarily to tourists and the affluent. The area also has a high concentration of the city's major media firms, such as the ''Chicago Tribune'' newspaper, and advertising agencies. The Magnificent Mile includes 3.1 million sq. ft. (288,000 sq. m) of retail space, 460 stores, 275 restaurants, 51 hotels, and a host of sightseeing and entertainment attractions to more than 22 million visitors annually. In recent years the Magnificent Mile has added trees and flower-filled medians to reflect the changing seasons. Many of the world's leading retail occupy the Magnificent Mile, including department stores such as Bloomingdale's, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Macy's and Lord & Taylor. In addition some of the finest luxury boutiques such as Cartier, Hermès, Giorgio Armani, Salvatore Ferragamo, Ermenegildo Zegna, Burberry and Tiffany & Co. are located along the Magnificent Mile. Renowned and critically-acclaimed restaurants such as The Signature Room at The 95th, Spiaggia, Tru, The Pump Room, Lawry's The Prime Rib, and Spago provide a variety of dining options. All 3 of the 5-star hotels located in the midwest (The Peninsula Chicago, Four Seasons Hotel Chicago, and Ritz-Carlton Chicago) and Illinois' only 4-star hotel (Park Hyatt) are located within about 5 blocks along the Magnificent Mile.^[2][3] Other hotels such as Intercontinental, Westin, Drake Hotel and Le Meridien Chicago offer convenient luxurious accommodations as well. The seasons each add their own flavor to the Magnificent Mile.^[4] Selected hotels are shown below:

Name	Street Address	Parent Company
Drake Hotel	140 East Walton Place	Hilton Hotels
Westin Michigan Avenue	909 North Michigan Avenue	Starwood Hotels
Four Seasons Hotel Chicago	900 North Michigan Avenue	Four Seasons Hotels
Ritz-Carlton Chicago	845 North Michigan Avenue	Four Seasons Hotels
Park Hyatt	800 North Michigan Avenue (110 East Chicago)	Hyatt
The Peninsula Chicago	108 East Superior Street	Peninsula Hotels
Allerton Hotel	701 North Michigan Avenue
Omni Chicago Hotel	676 North Michigan Avenue	Omni Hotels
Le Meridien Chicago	520 North Michigan Avenue (521 North Rush Street)
Hotel Inter-Continental Chicago	505 North Michigan Avenue	InterContinental Hotels Group

The largest banks have branches along the strip including the 3 largest banks in the nation Bank of America, Citibank, JPMorgan Chase's Chase Bank.^[5] Additionally, the largest banks in Chicago are present such as LaSalle Bank and Harris Bank,^[6] which is technically across the street from the Magnificent Mile. American Express has a Magnificent Mile address for one of its two Chicago service offices. Fidelity Investments has an office at the foot of Magnificent Mile.
Historic and landmark presences abound as shown in the table below which lists Chicago Landmarks, National Register of Historic Places locations, and National Historic Landmarks along the Magnificent Mile. At the northern edge of this district on the west one finds the exclusive One Magnificent Mile building and Oak Street running to the west. Also, at the northern edge of the district one finds the Chicago Landmark East Lake Shore Drive District, an extremely expensive and exclusive one-block area of real estate running east from North Michigan Ave. and facing directly onto to Lake Michigan. At the southern edge of the district, the Michigan Avenue Bridge sits among four majestic 1920s skyscrapers two of which are on the Magnificent Mile (Tribune Tower and the Wrigley Building) and two of which are not (333 North Michigan and London Guarantee Building).
Palmolive Building^[8]Perkins, Fellows & Hamilton Office and Studio^[9]Old Chicago Water Tower District^[10]Allerton Hotel^[11]Woman's Athletic Club^[12]McGraw-Hill Building^[13]Tribune Tower^[14]Du Sable, Jean Baptiste Point, Homesite^[15]Michigan Avenue Bridge and Esplanade^[16]Site of Fort Dearborn^[17]

Chicago Landmark[7]	Designation Date	Location	NHL Date National Historic Landmarks Program National Historic Landmarks Survey: Listing of National Historic Landmarks by State: Illinois
February 16 2000	919 N. Michigan Avenue	August 212003
December 1 1993	814 N. Michigan Avenue
October 6 1971; amended June 10 1981	806/821 N. Michigan Avenue	April 231975
May 291998	701 N. Michigan Avenue
October 2 1991	626 N. Michigan Avenue
February 7 1997	520 N. Michigan Avenue
February 1 1989	435 N. Michigan Avenue
	401 N. Michigan Avenue	May 11 1976	May 11 1976
October 2 1991	Chicago River, between Michigan and Wabash Avenues
September 151971	Intersection of N. Michigan Avenue and E. Wacker Drive

Four of the 85 tallest buildings in the world are located along the Magnificent Mile. In fact, Four of the 10 Tallest buildings in Chicago, 6 of the top 18, and 8 of the top 50 are located within a few blocks here. These buildings are:

Name	Street Address	Height feet / meters	Floors	Year
John Hancock Center	875 North Michigan Avenue	1,127 / 344	100	1969
900 N. Michigan Ave.	900 North Michigan Avenue	871 / 265	66	1989
Water Tower Place	845 North Michigan Avenue	859 / 262	74	1976
Park Tower	800 North Michigan Avenue	844 / 257	67	2000
Olympia Centre	737 North Michigan Avenue	725 / 221	63	1986
One Magnificent Mile	980 North Michigan Avenue	673 / 205	58	1983
Chicago Place	700 North Michigan Avenue	608 / 185	49	1991
Palmolive Building	919 North Michigan Avenue	565 / 172	37	1929

Seasonal events

Each season the ambiance of the Magnificent Mile changes. This change is signalled by the official events: Seasonal Events
Median planters were constructed as part of a streetscape improvement project in 1994. In the spring, Tulip Days occurs from mid April until the end of May. Hundreds of thousand of tulips bloom on The Magnificent Mile. Typically, they bloom between April 16th and May 7th.^[18]
During the summer the "Gardens of Chicago 's Magnificent Mile" festival event occurs. It is a self-guided landscape display walking tour. The flora from around the world are identified with horticultural signage in each of the gardens and planters.^[19]
The tradition of lighting the trees of the Magnificent Mile to start the holiday season extends for over forty years. Over one million lights are lit and fireworks follow the event. 2007 will be the 16th annual Magnificent Mile Lights Festival presented by Harris, which will be the annual kick-off to the nations holiday season.^[20] During the event Mickey Mouse walks the Magnificent mile from Wacker Drive to Oak Street, stopping at each block to light the trees. It is considered the first annual Holiday event of the year in the nation.
Winter brings the Light Nights on The Magnificent Mile featuring weekly fireworks over the Chicago River.^[21]

Malls

{| class="wikitable"
!width="100"| Mall Image
!width="75"| Construction Date
!width="75"| Floors (Mall/Building)
!width="150"| Anchor Stores
!width="50|Address
!width="250| Selected Tenants
|-
|
| 1989
| (6/66)
| Bloomingdale's
Mark Shale
| 900 North Michigan Avenue
shop900.com
| 'Mall':
Banana Republic (women)•Coach•Gucci•J. Crew•Williams-Sonoma
'Tower':
Four Seasons Hotel
|-
|
| 1975
| (8/74)
| Macy's
Lord & Taylor
| 835 North Michigan Avenue
shopwatertower
.com
| 'Mall':
Abercrombie & Fitch•Ann Taylor•bebe•Tourneau•Victoria's Secret
'Tower':
Ritz-Carlton•Oprah Winfrey
|-
|
|
| (8/49)
| Saks Fifth Avenue (women)
| 700 North Michigan Avenue
chicago-place
.com
| Ann Taylor•Talbots
|-
|
| 2000
| (5/)
| Nordstrom
| 520 North Michigan Avenue
(600 North Michigan Avenue}
^★
westfield.com
northbridge
| '520':
Hugo Boss•Lego•Sephora•Armani Exchange
|}

Intersections

{| class="wikitable"
!width="100"| Cross Street Image
!width="75"| Address^[22]
!width="200"| Intersection Type
!width="150|Cross Street Type
!width="400"| Commerce^[23]
|-
|
| 1000 North
| Pedestrian (E,W,S) Street,
Pedestrian (N,E) Underpass,
Vehicular
| Lighted Intersection (Two-way)
| NW: Harris Bank

NE: Chicago Park District

SW: One Magnificent Mile

SE: Channel at the Drake Hotel

|-
|
| 932 North
|
|
|NW: LaSalle Bank

NE: Drake Hotel

SW: Gucci at 900 North Michigan

SE: Louis Vuitton

|-
|
| 900 North
| Pedestrian (E,W,S,N) Street

Vehicular southbound turning lane
| Lighted Intersection (One-Way Eastbound)
|NW: Max Mara at 900 North Michigan

NE: Fratelli Rossetti at Westin Hotel

SW: Fourth Presbeterian Church

SE: The North Face at John Hancock Center

|-
|
| 860 North
| Pedestrian (E,W,S,N) Street

Vehicular northbound turning lane
| Lighted Intersection (One-Way Westbound)
|NW: Fourth Presbeterian Church

NE: Paul Stuart at John Hancock Center

SW: Water Tower Place

SE: Plaza Escada

|-
|
| 830 North
| Pedestrian (E,W,S,N) Street

Vehicular southbound turning lane
| Lighted Intersection (One-Way Eastbound)
|NW: Borders Books

NE: Macy's at Water Tower Place

SW: Chicago Water Tower

SE: Chicago Avenue Pumping Station

|-
|
| 800 North
| Pedestrian (E,W,S,N) Street

Vehicular northbound and westbound turning lanes
| Lighted Intersection (Two-Way)
|NW: Chicago Water Tower

NE: Chicago Avenue Pumping Station

SW: Polo Ralph Lauren

SE: Walgreen's

|-
|
| 732 North
| Pedestrian (E,W,S,N) Street

Vehicular southbound turning lane
| Lighted Intersection (One-Way Eastbound)
|NW: Tiffany & Co.

NE: Neiman-Marcus

SW: Chicago Place (Saks Fifth Avenue for women)

SE: Saks Fifth Avenue for men

|-
|
| 700 North
| Pedestrian (E,W,S,N) Street

Vehicular northbound turning lane
| Lighted Intersection (One-Way Westbound)
|NW: Talbot @ Chicago Place

NE: Nine West @ Allerton Hotel

SW: Express

SE: Apple Computer

|-
|
| 658 North
| Pedestrian (E,W,S,N) Street

Vehicular southbound turning lane
| Lighted Intersection (One-Way Eastbound)
|NW: Hanig's Footware

NE: Garmin

SW: Crate & Barrel

SE: Ferragamo

|-
|
| 628 North
| Pedestrian (E,W,S,N) Street

Vehicular northbound turning lane
| Lighted Intersection (One-Way Westbound)
|NW: Cartier

NE: Burberry

SW: Ann Taylor

SE: Coach

|-
|
| 600 North
| Pedestrian (E,W,S,N) Street

Vehicular southbound turning lane
| Lighted Intersection (One-Way Eastbound)
|NW: Eddie Bauer

NE: 605 North Michigan (Guess also:American Express, Chase Bank)

SW: Virgin Records

SE: Gap

|-
|
| 530 North
| Pedestrian (N) Street, (E,W) Sidewalk
| Lighted Intersection / Vehicular Underpass (One-Way Westbound)
|NW: Kenneth Cole

NE: Westfield North Bridge

SW: Atlas Galleries

SE: Intercontinental Hotel

|-
|
| 500 North
| Pedestrian (N,E) Street, (W) Sidewalk
| Lighted Intersection (Eastbound sidestreet) / Vehicular Underpass (One-Way Eastbound)
|NW: Bank of America @ 500 North Michigan

NE: Intercontinental Hotel

SW: 444 North Michigan

SE: McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum

|-
|
| 430 North
| Pedestrian (N,S) Street, (E,W) Sidewalk
| Lighted Intersection / Vehicular Underpass
|W: Walgreens @ 430 North Michigan (Realtor Building)

E: Tribune Tower

|-
|
| 410 North (upper)/400 North (lower)
| Pedestrian (N) Street, (E,W) Sidewalk
| Double Jughandle U-Turn lanes
|NW: Wrigley Building

NE: DuSable Homesite @ 401 North Michigan

SW: Michigan Aveneue Bridge

SE: Michigan Aveneue Bridge

|-
|
|
|
|
|NW:

NE:

SW:

SE:

|}

Gallery

20070513 401 North Michigan Plaques.JPG

20070513 DuSable Homesite NHL plaque.JPG

20070513 Fourth Presbyterian Church Plaque.JPG

20070513 Kinzie Mansion Plaque.JPG

20070513 Marquette Plaque.JPG

20070513 McGraw-Hill Building Plaque.JPG

20070513 Tribune Tower.JPG

20070509 South Side of Tribune Tower.JPG

20070509 Eddie Bauer - Loews.JPG

20070509 Ann Taylor.JPG

20070509 WGN Studio.JPG

20070509 Vehicular Underpass.JPG

20070509 Tulip Days - Virgin Records - Eddie Bauer.JPG

20070509 Tribune Tower Wall.JPG

20070509 Stairwell to underpass level.JPG

20070509 Salvatore Ferragamo.JPG

20070509 Polo Ralph Lauren.JPG

20070509 Neiman Marcus - Saks.JPG

20070509 Moose - Chicago Tribune.JPG

20070509 McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum.JPG

20070509 Intercontinental.JPG

20070509 Gap.JPG

20070509 Coach.JPG

20070509 Citibank.JPG

20070509 Cartier - Van Cleef & Arpels.JPG

20070509 Chase (605).JPG

20070509 Burberry.JPG

20070509 Brooks Brothers.JPG

20060819 Moose (W-02-03) (1).JPG

Chicago Water Tower plaque

Chicago Water Tower plaque

Site of Fort Dearborn

Michigan Avenue Bridge landmark plaque

Fort Dearborn sidewalk marker

DeWitt Clinton Cregier plaque at Chicago Water Tower

Niketown

Jack Brickhouse

401 North Michigan

Magnificent Mile

Magnificent Mile POV pushers

John Hancock Center

John Hancock Center

Drake Hotel (Chicago)

Allerton Hotel

Allerton Hotel

Allerton Hotel

Notes

1. Towertown Seligman, Amanda
2. Mobil 5-Star Hotels / Award Winners 2007 Sardone, Susan Breslow
3. 4 Star Hotels in the USA Sardone, Susan Breslow
4. Magnificent Mile
5. United States' Largest Banks
6. Chicago's Largest Banks
7. Chicago Landmarks: Alphabetical Listing
8. Palmolive Building
9. Perkins, Fellows & Hamilton Office and Studio
10. Old Chicago Water Tower District
11. Allerton Hotel
12. Woman's Athletic Club
13. McGraw-Hill Building
14. Tribune Tower
15. Du Sable, Jean Baptiste Point, Homesite
16. Michigan Avenue Bridge and Esplanade
17. Site of Fort Dearborn
18. Tulip Days
19. Gardens of the Magnificent Mile
20. Magnificent Mile Lights Festival
21. Light Nights on The Magnificent Mile
22. Hayner, Don and Tom McNamee, ''Streetwise Chicago'', Loyola University Press, 1988, ISBN
23. Magnificent Mile

External links

★ Official City of Chicago Near North Side Community Map

★ www.themagnificentmile.com/