The Wanamaker Building at 13th and Market is a Beaux-Arts landmark from 1911, originally the flagship store of John Wanamaker's department store empire and now a Lord & Taylor. What makes it extraordinary is what is hidden in its walls: the Grand Court Organ, the largest fully functioning pipe organ in the world. The instrument has 28,750 pipes, six keyboards, and a console that requires a dedicated organist — which it has had continuously since 1909. Organ concerts still happen twice daily, at noon and 5:15pm, and are free to anyone who happens to be in the building.
The Grand Court itself, a six-story atrium in the center of the building, is anchored by a 2,500-pound bronze eagle that serves as Philadelphia's most famous meeting point. "Meet me at the eagle" has been a Philadelphia instruction for over a century. The Christmas light show, running since 1956, fills the Grand Court with one of the city's great free spectacles. The building is worth a visit regardless of your shopping intentions; the organ alone justifies crossing the threshold.