After a startling decline beginning in the 1970s, State Street, that once-great street, seems to be toddling again. Historic anchors Marshall Field's and Carson Pirie Scott never left, but the siphoning effect of suburban shopping malls took its toll downtown. Well-intentioned planners eliminated automobile traffic, widened the sidewalks, and crossed their fingers, and although it was too tough to die, State Street almost gave up the ghost. Now re-opened to automobile traffic, with new streetscape, State has had a multi-million-dollar facelift, and new businesses have joined old stalwarts on what is arguably the most famous of Chicago's thoroughfares.
At Wacker Drive, the river to the north, the Lake Street El tracks cross overhead. Walking south, examine the 1872 Page Brothers Building at 179 -191 N. State, with one of the city's oldest remaining cast-iron façades. Next door is the Chicago Theater, built in 1921 by architects Rapp & Rapp and sensitively restored in 1986. The former movie palace now offers musicals, concerts, and special events. (Call 312-902-1500 for event information.) In summer, the alley next door hosts an organic greenmarket early on Friday mornings.
Marshall Field's, at Randolph and State, has new neighbors, the School of the Art Institute and a new film center. Currently, Block 37 is home to a summertime art program for high school students.
The Reliance Building, now the Burnham Hotel, at 32 N. State, begun by Burnham & Root in 1891, offers the earliest example of the "Chicago Window," a characteristic architectural feature of the city. A central pane of plate glass allows precious sunlight inside, while a sash window on either side allows fresh air to come in - an important commodity in the days before air conditioning. On the southwest corner of State and Madison is the Chicago Building. (Notice the Chicago windows?) Repeatedly threatened by the wrecking ball, the Chicago was finally acknowledged as an important part of our architectural heritage.
Strolling on, pass the Palmer House Hotel at Monroe Street. There's a wild Trader Vic's hidden in the basement of this landmark. DePaul Center, in a former Goldblatt's Department Store, shows the virtues of architectural reuse. A lively concourse and lunchtime concert programs make this a worthwhile rest stop.
As you approach Congress Parkway, orient yourself to William Le Baron Jenney's Second Leiter Building on your left, and the Harold Washington Public Library on your right. The 1891 Leiter Building represents one of the most significant technological accomplishments of the late nineteenth century - the development of the glass curtain wall, made possible by an interior steel structure. To really get a feeling for the building, visit its café, reading rooms, and bookstore.
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