Nicole C. Kirk, "Wanamaker’s Temple: The Business of Religion in an Iconic Department Store" (NYU Press, 2018)

New Books in American Studies · Oct 10, 2019 · 1h 25m

"On Christmas Eve, 1911, John Wanamaker stood in the middle of his elaborately decorated department store building in Philadelphia as shoppers milled around him picking up last minute Christmas presents. On that night, as for years to come, the store was filled with the sound of Christmas carols sung by thousands of shoppers, accompanied by the store’s Great Organ. Wanamaker recalled that moment in his diary, 'I said to myself that I was in a temple,' a sentiment quite possibly shared by the thousands who thronged the store that night." This is a conversation about a Philadelphian and his…