“The busiest corner in Chicago.” That’s how Thomas Edison described State Street in 1897. He even captured its bustling energy on film, showcasing the cable cars, the street traffic, and hundreds of shoppers. The State Street Commercial Historic District, right where we stand, was already a retail paradise. Decades earlier, this very spot was a dusty trail used by Native Americans and fur trappers. Known as Hubbard’s Trail, it connected young Chicago to trading outposts. Then, in the 1860s, a visionary businessman named Potter Palmer saw its potential. Palmer lured the successful dry goods store of Marshall Field and Levi Leiter to State Street, forever changing its destiny. He built the opulent Palmer House Hotel as a gift for his wife, a structure that sadly fell victim to the Great Chicago Fire but rose again in even grander fashion. Palmer’s legacy lives on. You can still find his name gracing the hotel, and the Marshall Fields store, now Macy’s, continues to draw shoppers from far and wide. Today, the State Street Commercial Historic District stands as a testament to Chicago’s entrepreneurial spirit and its enduring power as a retail destination.
Congregation Or Torah
Rabbi Zvi Engel’s leadership guides Congregation Or Torah. This impressive Modern Orthodox Synagogue stands proudly in Skokie Illinois. It’s one