John V. Farwell & Co. operated out of a building at 112-116 Wabash Avenue . Clothing operations were spun off into their own firm , first Huntington , Wadsworth & Parks and later the boot and shoe company C. M. Henderson & Co . In October 1871 , the Great Chicago Fire destroyed the building and much of the surrounding area . A new building was then commissioned at the northwest corner of Monroe and Franklin Streets . In 1883 , a new eight-story building at the corner of Market and Monroe Streets opened from the shop . Farwell left in the mid-1880s to invest in lands in Texas , namely the XIT Ranch . The company was sold to Carson , Pirie & Co. in 1926
Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
John V. Farwell & Co.