Magnificent Mile
The Magnificent Mile is the approximately one-mile-long stretch of Michigan Avenue from the Chicago River to Oak Street on the Near North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It divides the neighborhood of Streeterville, on its east, from River North, on its west.
The Magnificent Mile is the primary commercial corridor between the Loop and Gold Coast. It hosts numerous retail stores and experiential spaces, hotels, and tourist attractions.
The real estate developer Arthur Rubloff of Rubloff Company gave the district its nickname in 1947. Skyscrapers and landmarks along the Magnificent Mile include the John Hancock Center, the Wrigley Building, Tribune Tower, the Chicago Water Tower, and the Allerton, Drake, and Intercontinental hotels.
History
After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, State Street in the downtown Loop, especially the Loop Retail Historic District, was the city's retailing center. The convenience of mass transit including streetcars and elevated trains, supported a retail corridor along State Street from Lake Street to Van Buren Street.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. The Rush Street Bridge was the swing bridge for this area. The opening of the Michigan Avenue Bridge in 1920 created a new commercial district.
The concept for the Magnificent Mile was part of the 1909 Burnham Plan of Chicago. It was constructed during the 1920s to replace Pine Street, which had been lined with factories 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. The name the "Magnificent Mile" is a registered trademark of The Magnificent Mile Association, formerly the Greater North Michigan Avenue Association.
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 for construction of 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 Tower Town, just southwest of the Chicago Water Tower. Rubloff and Zeckendorf successfully developed and promoted the area until it became one of the most prestigious addresses of the city, spurring new investment along the Magnificent Mile and throughout the Near North Side.
After 1950, suburban development reduced 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 opening of the 74-story Water Tower Place in 1975 marked the return of Chicago to retailing prominence. By 1979, the State Street commercial corridor had lost its commercial vitality and was closed to street traffic for renovation including sidewalk widening until 1996. In August 2020, the Magnificent Mile was looted by large crowds during a night of unrest after Chicago police shot a black person in Englewood. In May 2022, a mass shooting nearby the neighborhood killed two people and critically injured eight others. Two men have since been convicted in connection with the shooting, one of them being for murder, while the other was for weapon charges.
Description
Today, The Magnificent Mile contains a mixture of upscale department stores, restaurants, retailers, residential and commercial buildings, financial services companies, and hotels, catering primarily to tourists. The Magnificent Mile includes of retail space, 460 stores, 275 restaurants, 51 hotels, and a host of sightseeing and entertainment attractions to more than 22 million visitors annually.The American Planning Association selected The Magnificent Mile as one of the 10 Great Streets for 2007 through its Great Places in America program. In recent years, The Magnificent Mile has added trees and flower-filled medians to reflect the changing seasons.
Retail
Most luxury brands moved to Oak Street in the years following the 2008 financial crisis, but The Magnificent Mile still hosts luxury department stores Bloomingdale's, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Nordstrom. Retailers on The Magnificent Mile include: Canada Goose, Cartier, Bulgari, Burberry, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., Max Mara, St. John, Omega, Stuart Weitzman, Montblanc, Rolex, Ralph Lauren, Kate Spade, Eskandar, Henri Bendel, Hugo Boss, Salvatore Ferragamo, American Girl, Ermenegildo Zegna, Zara, MCM, Tumi, Kiehl's, Michael Kors, J. Crew, Sermoneta, H&M, Marlowe, Paul Stuart, David Yurman, Fogal, Wolford, The Art of Shaving, BHLDN, Victoria's Secret, Banana Republic, and Starbucks Reserve Roastery.The Magnificent Mile has three urban shopping centers: Water Tower Place, The Shops at North Bridge, and 900 North Michigan Shops. Each spans multiple floors and city blocks and offers various tenants: mall mainstays and more upscale apparel shops, restaurants, and unique attractions, such as museums. In its book The 10 Best of Everything: An Ultimate Guide for Travelers, National Geographic named The Magnificent Mile along with Rodeo Drive and Fifth Avenue as one of the 10 best shopping avenues in the world.
In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Magnificent Mile lost Banana Republic, Gap, Macy's, Uniqlo and Timberland, among other retailers.
Hotels and dining
Renowned and critically acclaimed restaurants such as The Signature Room at The 95th, Spiaggia, Tru, The Pump Room, Lawry's The Prime Rib, The Grand Lux, and The Park Hyatt Room provide a variety of dining options. Three 5-star hotels and Illinois' only 4-star hotel are located within about five blocks along The Magnificent Mile.Other hotels such as the InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile, Knickerbocker, Westin, Drake Hotel, and the Conrad Chicago offer convenient luxurious accommodations as well. Selected luxury-class hotels are shown below:
| Name | Street Address | Parent Company |
| 163 E. Walton Place | Millennium Hotels | |
| Westin Michigan Avenue | 909 N. Michigan Avenue | Marriott Hotels |
| Four Seasons Hotel Chicago | 900 N. Michigan Avenue – Floors 32–46 | Four Seasons Hotels |
| Ritz-Carlton Chicago | 845 N. Michigan Avenue | Marriott Hotels |
| Park Hyatt | 800 N. Michigan Avenue | Hyatt |
| The Peninsula Chicago | 108 E. Superior Street | The Peninsula Hotels |
| Allerton Hotel | 701 N. Michigan Avenue | |
| Omni Chicago Hotel | 676 N. Michigan Avenue | Omni Hotels |
| The Conrad Chicago | 520 N. Michigan Avenue | Hilton Hotels |
| InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile | 505 N. Michigan Avenue | InterContinental Hotels Group |
| Drake Hotel | 140 E. Walton Place | Hilton Hotels |
Banks
The largest banks have branches along the strip including the three largest banks in the nation: Bank of America, Citibank, and JPMorgan Chase's Chase Bank. Additionally, the largest banks in Chicago are present, such as Harris Bank, 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 The Magnificent Mile.Chicago landmarks
Historic and landmark presences are 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 N. Michigan Ave. and facing directly onto 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, and two of which are not. These buildings are contributing properties to the Michigan–Wacker Historic District.
| Chicago Landmark | Designation Date | Location | NRHP Date | NHL Date |
| Drake Hotel | April 18, 1985 | 140 E. Walton Place | May 8, 1980 | |
| Palmolive Building | February 16, 2000 | 919 N. Michigan Avenue | August 21, 2003 | |
| Perkins, Fellows & Hamilton Office and Studio | December 1, 1993 | 814 N. Michigan Avenue | ||
| Old Chicago Water Tower District | October 6, 1971; amended June 10, 1981 | 806/821 N. Michigan Avenue | April 23, 1975 | |
| Allerton Hotel | May 29, 1998 | 701 N. Michigan Avenue | ||
| Woman's Athletic Club | October 2, 1991 | 626 N. Michigan Avenue | ||
| McGraw-Hill Building | February 7, 1997 | 520 N. Michigan Avenue | ||
| Tribune Tower | February 1, 1989 | 435 N. Michigan Avenue | ||
| Du Sable, Jean Baptiste Point, Homesite | 401 N. Michigan Avenue | May 11, 1976 | May 11, 1976 | |
| Michigan Avenue Bridge and Esplanade | October 2, 1991 | Chicago River, between Michigan and Wabash Avenues | ||
| Site of Fort Dearborn | September 15, 1971 | Intersection of N. Michigan Avenue and E. Wacker Drive |
Several of the tallest buildings in Chicago are located in The Magnificent Mile district:
| Name | Street Address | Height feet / meters | Floors | Year |
| 875 North Michigan Avenue | 875 N. Michigan Avenue | 1,127 / 344 | 100 | 1969 |
| 900 North Michigan | 900 N. Michigan Avenue | 871 / 265 | 66 | 1989 |
| Water Tower Place | 845 N. Michigan Avenue | 859 / 262 | 74 | 1976 |
| Park Tower | 800 N. Michigan Avenue | 844 / 257 | 67 | 2000 |
| Olympia Centre | 737 N. Michigan Avenue | 725 / 221 | 63 | 1986 |
| One Magnificent Mile | 980 N. Michigan Avenue | 673 / 205 | 58 | 1983 |
| Chicago Place | 700 N. Michigan Avenue | 608 / 185 | 49 | 1991 |
| Palmolive Building | 919 N. Michigan Avenue | 565 / 172 | 37 | 1929 |