Chicago-Photo.com

Wells Bridge

The Wells St bridge over the Chicago River seen from the Merchandise Mart Plaza.

The El At Wells And Adams

The El tracks at Wells St and Adams St. Picture taken from the Souht East corner of the intersection.

Merchandise Mart Facts

-the building occupies the entire block bounded by the Chicago River (on the North), Kinzie St (on the South), Orleans St (on the West) and Wells St (on the East);

- when it opened on May 5, 1930, the Mrchandise Mart was the largest building in the entire world;

- it was initially owned by the Marshall Field family;

- the building held the title of the largest building in the world in terms of floor space until 1943 when it was surpassed by the Pentagon

- from 1945 until 1998 the Mart was owned by the Kennedy family (Joseph P Kennedy Sr bought the building in 1948 for $12.5 million);

- the Merchandise Mart hosts an average of 20,000 visitors and tenants on a daily basis;