The nostalgic and painful memories of the Walnut Room
Marshall Field’s Walnut Room is a joyful holiday tradition for some Chicagoans. But for others, it brings back memories of discrimination.
A visit to the Walnut Room is a long-standing holiday tradition for many Chicagoans. It first started in the Marshall Field’s department store on State Street. The store is now known as Macy’s, but the tradition of the Walnut Room continues with its glitzy Christmas tree and special visits from Santa Claus.
It got some listeners wondering how the Walnut Room got its start.
According to historian Sarah Sullivan, Marshall Field’s managers were always looking for ways to expand the shopping experience and draw more customers in. The Walnut Room was born from that effort in 1937.
While the store conjures warm holiday nostalgia for many in the region, for others, the Walnut Room and Marshall Field’s brings up painful memories. Many African-American shoppers during the 1950s and ’60s were treated poorly by staff, and a pattern of racism and discrimination seemed to be the general practice throughout the store during that time. Joyce Miller-Bean, who grew up on Chicago’s South Side, recounts a number of discriminatory incidents when she visited Marshall Field’s during her youth — which she didn’t experience at other Chicago-area department stores. She’s glad her now-adult children didn’t experience the same thing when they were growing up.
Monica Eng is a reporter for Axios Chicago.
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The nostalgic and painful memories of the Walnut Room
Marshall Field’s Walnut Room is a joyful holiday tradition for some Chicagoans. But for others, it brings back memories of discrimination.
A visit to the Walnut Room is a long-standing holiday tradition for many Chicagoans. It first started in the Marshall Field’s department store on State Street. The store is now known as Macy’s, but the tradition of the Walnut Room continues with its glitzy Christmas tree and special visits from Santa Claus.
It got some listeners wondering how the Walnut Room got its start.
According to historian Sarah Sullivan, Marshall Field’s managers were always looking for ways to expand the shopping experience and draw more customers in. The Walnut Room was born from that effort in 1937.
While the store conjures warm holiday nostalgia for many in the region, for others, the Walnut Room and Marshall Field’s brings up painful memories. Many African-American shoppers during the 1950s and ’60s were treated poorly by staff, and a pattern of racism and discrimination seemed to be the general practice throughout the store during that time. Joyce Miller-Bean, who grew up on Chicago’s South Side, recounts a number of discriminatory incidents when she visited Marshall Field’s during her youth — which she didn’t experience at other Chicago-area department stores. She’s glad her now-adult children didn’t experience the same thing when they were growing up.
Monica Eng is a reporter for Axios Chicago.