Sullivan-Designed Department Store To Be Converted

Bon-Ton Stores, the department store operator that owns Carson Pirie Scott, announced in late August that Carson’s will vacate its flagship Chicago store in the landmark building designed by Louis Sullivan on State Street. The move, scheduled for March 2007, is blamed on increasing operating costs and changing shopper habits.
Carson’s, originally named the Schlesinger and Mayer Department Store, has been the only tenant in the building, which is considered to be one of the most important structures of early modern architecture. The Sullivan design is noted for its modular construction, “Chicago windows,” and cast-iron ornament; it was built between 1899 and 1904 and expanded by Daniel Burnham in 1905–1906 and Holabird & Root in 1960.
The building’s owner, Joseph Freed and Associates, is planning to court new retail tenants for the lower two floors and office uses above. “All of the historic elements will be maintained, preserved, and utilized, including stairwells as well as the columns and capitals,” says Paul Fitzpatrick, managing director in the developer’s Chicago office. “The limited number of entrances dictates the redevelopment schemes. We're currently evaluating many tenant options that include anywhere from two or three larger stores to up to 15 smaller retail tenants on the first and second floors.”
The Carson’s move is another sign of the ever-changing character of State Street, where the nearby Marshall Field’s flagship became a Macy’s in early September. Once the thriving retail heart of the Loop, State Street suffered as a forlorn pedestrian-only thoroughfare beginning in the 1970s. It has experienced a renaissance in the past decade thanks to an urban design plan by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and an infusion of new retailers.