Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Building

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The Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Building is a landmark department store building at State Street and Madison, Chicago, Illinois. It was designed by Louis Sullivan, built in 1899 for the retail firm Schlesinger & Meyer, and expanded and sold to Carson Pirie Scott in 1904.

The building is remarkable for its steel structure, which allowed a dramatic increase in window area, which in turn allowed far more daylight into the building interiors, and far more display of merchandise to outside pedestrian traffic. The lavish cast-iron ornamental work above the rounded tower was also meant to be functional. Sullivan designed the corner entry to be seen from both State and Madison, and that the ornamentation, situated above the main entrance, would be literally attractive. The building is one of the classic structures of the Chicago school.

In August of 2006, the parent of Carson Pirie Scott announced that after the Christmas, 2006 season, the department store business in the building would be closed. There were no immediate announcements as to what new use the building will be converted to.