Chicago Landmarks
 

Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Building

State St. elevation Exterior View, circa 1904     Address: 1 S. State St.
Year Built: 1898-99 and 1902-04; 1905-06, twelve-story south addition; 1960-61, eight-story south addition
Architect: Louis H Sullivan , D. H. Burnham and Co.
Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: November 5, 1970

Louis Sullivan iron work detail Expression of steel skeleton One of the most important structures in early modern architecture, famed for its influential modular construction and design. Visionary architect Louis Sullivan shaped this commercial building--originally built for the Schlesinger and Mayer department store--into a dramatically animated structure that inseparably merges beauty and function. The ornament of the lower two stories is frozen in cast iron, while at the same time giving the impression of being in fluid motion. It is an excellent example of Sullivan's genius for architectural ornament.