Landmark Louis Sullivan Carson's store to close.

[greatauntoftriplets]

Carson's State Street store closing

By Jim Kirk and Sandra Jones
Tribune staff reporters
Published August 25, 2006, 1:18 PM CDT


The historic Carson Pirie Scott store at 1 S. State St. in downtown Chicago will close its doors in March, the retailer said today.

Carson's new owner, Bon-Ton Stores Inc., blamed negative sales trends and rising operating costs. The company also said that incentive payments from the owner of the building, Joseph Freed & Associates, played a role in the company's decision.

Freed, which has restored the landmark building's exterior and reactivated 400,000 square feet of upper-floor space for office use, has other plans for the site, the retailer said.

At least 450 employees, including 300 full timers, will be put out of work as a result of the store closing. Bon-Ton said the full-time employees can interview for positions at other stores.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-060825carsonpirie,1,3318289.story?coll=chi-news-hed

[Southsideirish]

1. Yikes, this makes me so sad! I remember State Street as it used to be -

the way it was meant to be - one department store after another with a few smaller, high quality stores in between (like Charles A. Stevens, Rothchild's, Lytton's, Baskin's, etc.)
When my dad was a young Irish immigrant he worked as a shoe salesman at Stevens' and said that one night when he was working late (only one in there) old Charles A. Stevens came in and sat down and talked to him, giving some lessons in life, "work hard", " shoulder to the grindstone" type of motivational speech. As dad was a great storyteller, he may have embellished somewhat, but he never made up anything out of whole cloth - the core story was the truth.

Also Wiebolt's, The Fair, Montgomery Ward's and, of course, Marshall Field's.

Now Wabash is the only remnant of the "old downtown" for me, State street is "no more."

[greatauntoftriplets]

2. I remember all those stores, too....

And State Street when it was truly a Great Street. I love shopping at Stevens and did until it closed. As a kid when we went downtown, my mother would take us to the Circle Tearoom for lunch.

I haven't worked downtown in 11 years and so rarely get to that neck of the woods. At least the building has landmark status and so must be preserved even as it is redeveloped for a productive new use.

[fudge stripe cookays]

7. Wow. Wieboldt's.

Now THERE'S a name from the past.

I can remember visiting Chicago with my parents when I was little and going there.

This makes me so sad. I've recently discovered that one of the guys in our family was a Louis Sullivan restoration expert. Closing the store is one thing. If they decide to tear it down, a huge earthquake will hit the west coast. It will be Crombie rolling over in his grave.

[greatauntoftriplets]

8. The Carson's building is a protected national landmark.

Happily it cannot be torn down. Given all the people I know who will boycott Field's after it becomes Macy's (myself among them), there would be an earthquake centered around Chicago of all the people going apeshit if the owner did try to tear down that architectural masterpiece. The owner seems very committed to restoring the building to preserve its special character. Cool about your relative.

I remember Wieboldt's well, too.B-)

[fudge stripe cookays]

9. Thank God.

Crombie was also instrumental in saving the Auditorium Building, and designing the big Hull House Center that's there now. And he was a DAMNED good Roosevelt Democrat. Every day I research I'm sorry I didn't get to meet him.

I'm sad about Marshall Field's too. I used to get all sorts of interesting packages from my aunt and uncle (he was my godfather) when I was young, with the special Field's tag on them.

My favorite was a stuffed peach (Pinkie the Peach) with a pen to have people autograph it for you. I kept that thing for years. Don't remember when it finally bit the dust.

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

3. Another part of State Street, gone forever...

I know the building itself is a national landmark and that will never go, but I still can't get over the fact that Marshall Field's in another month will be Macy's and now Carson, Pirie, Scott will close next year....

It was bad enough when it was announced that Marshall Field's was becoming Macy's, but to lose Carson's as well, just breaks my born and bred Chicago heart.

I know time marches on and all that, but to have to lose another store altogether, just makes me want to :cry: :cry: :cry:.

Seriously, this just rips my heart... Will anything be left in a couple of years that anyone over the age of 35 will have childhood, teenage and young adult memories of????

[Southsideirish]

5. Am I the only one that remembers Wiebolt's "Toyteria" and their "Cinnamon

Bear" Christmas serial on the radio?

God, those were the days - who knew they'd ever end and be so precious 50 years later?

It reminds me of the play "Our Town" - what would you give to have one of those days back again - a whole 24 hours? What day would you pick?

[madrchsod]

4. another name gone to history

carsons pire scott started in the town of amboy and later moved to chicago and the building is still there in amboy. i remember going to state street when i was a kid, sure was alot different than downtown dixon!

[Critters2]

6. People here in Ottawa insist that the original Carson's was here

and point lovingly to the "original" building--which now houses a book store, a sandwich shop and several medical offices.