Sullivan Center

The Sullivan Center is recognizable by the dark, intricate cast-iron ornamentation that wraps around its ground-floor entrance at the corner of State and Madison Streets. Designed by architect Louis Sullivan and completed in eighteen ninety-nine for the Schlesinger and Mayer department store, this building introduced a new approach to the skyscraper. By using a steel skeletal frame, Sullivan created large, light-filled windows that functioned as a sidewalk showcase for merchandise, a design feature that became a prototype for twentieth-century retail.