Lost Chicago Department Stores: A 7-Week Journey Down Memory Lane




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ClassGraphic Do you remember dressing up for lunch at Marshall Field's Walnut Room, or marveling at the holiday window displays along State Street? If Chicago's legendary retail history holds a special place in your heart, this is the class for you! Over seven weeks, we'll explore the golden era of Chicago's iconic department stores — from Marshall Field's and Carson Pirie Scott to Montgomery Ward, Goldblatt's, Wieboldt's, and beyond. Using Leslie Goddard's richly illustrated book Lost Chicago Department Stores (The History Press, 2022) as our guide, we'll trace how these grand emporiums rose from the ashes of the Great Chicago Fire to become the beating heart of the city's commercial and social life.We'll also dig into additional sources — vintage photographs, newspaper archives, and advertisements — to bring these beloved stores to life in vivid detail. Along the way, we'll explore the fascinating lives of the visionary founders whose ambition, innovation, and entrepreneurship shaped both their stores and the city of Chicago itself. Whether you shopped these stores firsthand or are discovering them for the first time, you'll find this a wonderful mix of nostalgia, history, and lively conversation. 
 

Class Details

7 Session(s)
Weekly - Thu

Location
Wieboldt Hall

Instructor
Multiple

Tuition:  $0.00

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Schedule Information

Date(s) Class Days Times Location Instructor(s)
9/10/2026 - 10/22/2026 Weekly - Thu 09:45 AM - 11:45 AM Chicago, Wieboldt Hall  Map Martha Bills  ; Andi France