A Chicago department store has unfurled the world’s largest American flag as part of its annual display of patriotism.
The Macy’s store on State Street has displayed the flag that dates back to 1916 when the store was Marshall Field & Company.
The original flag was retired in 1941 and replaced, but the replica disappeared and the tradition lapsed, according to Flyhouse.
Marshall Field revived the display in 2003, unveiling a 5,000-square-foot replica of the original flag, which hangs in the north atrium at the corner of State and Randolph streets.
The store changed ownership in 2006 when Macy’s bought out the space and installed a new store, but it maintained the patriotic tradition.
In 2009, Macy’s even asked Flyhouse, which handles the rigging of the 900-pound flag, to install a new truss that mimicked the “flutter” of a flag in breeze.
The flag will hang through Labor Day on Sept. 6.
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