Free previewStop 6 of Chicago Loop Architecture Walking Tour
The Architect Who Kept One Client
You're at State and Madison, the corner Chicagoans spent a century calling Carson's. Start with the rounded corner where the two streets meet, then look at the lowest two stories. That dense, swirling ornament is cast iron. Above it, white terracotta bands frame wide Chicago windows, row after row. Hold that contrast in your eye.
First, where your feet are. The crossing of State and Madison is the zero point of Chicago's address grid. Every north, south, east and west address in the city is counted from this corner, and the original 1830s plat left the two streets slightly misaligned right here.
The store belonged to Leopold Schlesinger and David Mayer, two German immigrants whose company was founded in 1872. In April 1881 their dry-goods store opened in the Bowen Building on this site.
That's the opening. The rest plays at stop 6 of Chicago Loop Architecture Walking Tour (3 min in all). Unlock the tour to hear it all, or try stop 1 free first.
