When Daniel Burnham's legendary architectural firm, D. H. Burnham & Company, was commissioned to design Marshall Field & Co in 1892, plans for the State Street location were extensive. After earning himself an unprecedented reputation from his work on the World's Columbian Exposition, Burnham along with his associate, Charles Atwood, wanted to help personify the Chicago spirit through this one-of-a-kind department store.

Their directions were anything but simple. Marshall Field dreamed of a store that would champion the famed architecture and unique high-end fashion of places like Italy and Paris. He envisioned a place that would cater to the quality and variety he felt his customers deserved, while also serving as a "Shopper's Meeting Place," an ideal Field would become known for reiterating.

Burnham and Atwood created plans that would speak to Field's ambitious ideas, but also wanted to keep the architecture in their own classicist and simplistic styles. While the building would truly become the first of its kind, it was important to Burnham that style be met by practicality.

When Burnham first began the twelve-story undertaking, the structure actually consisted of six separate stores within the State and Randolph to Wabash and Washington radius. His plans incorporated construction of the Great Clocks, Tiffany Vaulted Ceiling and granite columns that continue to frame the State Street entrance to this day. Additional features like the Juliette Balcony contribute to the many structural features that are the hallmarks of the historic State Street store.

In addition to these original designs were the plans for the Burnham Fountain. Aligned with Field's vision of a meeting place, Burnham's initial idea was to build the fountain as a landmark inside the store where shoppers could literally meet one another. He defended his notion by suggesting that it stand in the State and Randolph corner of the store, making it easy for every visitor to spot.

Marshall Field, however, disagreed with this idea and thought the Fountain to be a misfit in the floor plans. As sole proprietor of the blueprints, Field withheld construction of the Fountain from the store's five-year erection and neglected it from the store's unveiling in 1907.

It was not until the Marshall Field's & Co. renovation of 1992 that the plans for the fountain were found and implemented. During this $115 million restoration, the fountain with its 3-tiered waterfall feature was finally constructed on the 1st floor of the store. In what could be considered a full-circle historical moment for the State Street location, the "Lost" Fountain now sits just east of the Tiffany Ceiling, appropriately stationed for the 100th anniversary of its creation.