Carson Pirie Scott had used the space for more than 100 yearsbefore closing earlier this year. The building, designed by LouisHenri Sullivan and originally built for Schlesinger & Meyerdepartment store in 1899, with significant additions in 1903 and1906, was one of the first department stores built using fireproofsteel-frame construction. Chicago architect Daniel Burnham designedthe 1906 addition, and major restoration work was done on thebuildings in 1961 and 1980.

The structure comprises about nine interconnected buildings forthe total of one million sf, says Wayne Shulman, senior vicepresident in the corporate real estate services and officerbrokerage division of HSA, which leases the office portion of thebuilding. Freed & Associates acquired the building in 2001.Carson Pirie Scott had entered into a 20-year sale-leasebackagreement with Freed but had announced in August 2006 its intentionof leaving its flagship store citing rising operating costs.

The move between the first level of the buildings, one must exitand enter another building. But, for the upper floors, a personcould go from one building to the other without leaving theSullivan Center, says Mike Solka, project manager with LeopardoConstruction. His company, headquartered in Hoffman Estates, IL, isgutting the floors to leave a core and shell. Demolition iscurrently about 90% completed, Solka says. New ventilation systemswill be installed in the building and a new ComEd vault will beinstalled, he says.