The Mart

Well, in light of some very INTERESTING information, Hixx has a new goal to own a condo in roughly two years.

Now, I’m not big on owning, I couldn’t care less, BUT…due to my job, some inside information and a better than regular paycheck, I’m setting it out as a possibility somewhere in maybe 2007. Kind of fun to think about anyway.

What I wanted to talk about really though, was a little bit of architecture.

If one is familiar with our fine city of Chicago, one is more than familiar with the Merchandise Mart.

The Mart is on my Art Deco tour, so there are a couple of “art deco” staples the Mart has, but are more fun than other Art Deco buildings in Chicago.

A few quick facts about the Mart, it is the largest commercial building in the country, the second largest in space only to the Pentagon. It is so large, it has it’s own zip code, it was built by the Marshall Field estate and was going up right as the depression hit.

The Art Deco skyscrapers in Chicago usually have two common things in their opulent lobbies. Some kind of cool “Elevator indicator” and a cool “air mail” box. Air mail was new in the 1930’s and art deco buildings loved to express the modernity and beauty of planes and air mail, elevator indicators were fancy, shaped like the building, or adorned and ornately accentuated.

I’ve been going to the mart forever, and just the other day noticed its airmail box. IT IS HUGE! Just like the mart, I loved it, couldn’t believe I had missed it before. It’s like 4 feet tall and so ostentatious. Very neat. The elevator indicator? Haven’t seen it yet, not sure if there is one.

Also, John and I the other day snuck upstairs to see what the Mart is all about. Can’t believe I never checked it out before. But it is literally rows and rows and rows of little stores, who must sell wholesale to the big conventions. The floor we were on was the “gift” floor and it really looked like a bunch of alleyways of stores, all dark, because I guess the “gift” convention wasn’t there. There must be a furniture floor, a lamp floor, all kinds of floors, but it was weird being up there.

Another one of those things you wonder “how come I never did this before?”

TGIF y’all.