Carson Pirie Scott, rip, grrrrrrrrr.

so sad

1 S. State Street, Carson's location, is considered the very center of the city. That in itself is worthy of some recognition, making the building more than just a landmark.

They can't be talking about tearing it down??? It's Louis Sullivan, right. The ironwork is absolutely magnificent.

Yikes, I hope not. I think this is a very stupid decision.

If the tribune or equivalent (what is an equivalent?) moved there, I could see it.

Look about, there are some articles on it. Most are sort of saying a sentimental goodby and life moves on. I SOOOOO disagree.

Unless it's retrofitted for a major headquarters of a company known for some elegance...

Oh, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

First Fields, and now Carsons!

Didn't Fannie Mae leave the City, too?

I know. I'm so sorry.

The other Chicago newspaper is the Sun-Times. Their headquarters used to be almost directly across from the Tribune Tower on Michigan Avenue. Don't know if they're still there. I think the new Trump Tower is going up in that location or somewhere very close.

State and Madison, in front of Carson's, was always the meeting place for my family. Whenever I met my mother or aunt or a cousin downtown, that's usually where we'd rendezvous.

Special memories...

There was a time, when there were 3 daily newspapers in Chicago.
Those days are long gone.

Do you remember the name of the third newspaper?

"The Daily News", it was an afternoon/evening paper.

Wasn't there a Marshall Fields out at OakBrook?

Might have been: "The Chicago Daily News".

I recall the Daily News vaguely but moreso, "The Chicago American" which later became "Chicago Today". It was the evening paper. But there were many papers throughout the last century.

I shopped at the Field's in Oakbrook a few times but nothing was like the downtown store. Same with Carson's. There were branches at all of the Malls but nothing like the flagship store downtown.

My mother took me to Carson's for a makeup lesson for my Junior Prom. I ran into my ex-fiance and his new bride returning gifts in the housewares department a few weeks after they were married. He looked like he could have died. I was, of course, the epitome of cool.

Yep. Lot of memories...

I specifically remember going with my mother (er, sob...now) shopping in Carson's, and getting in the spring of eighth grade for me, a sleeveless top and slightly pleated skirt in silk poie d'seau (spelling?) from a rack.

I have a slight memory of it costing eleven dollars but I might be making that up. Whatever it was, it was low on the price totem pole at the time.
But I loved its shimmeringness a lot. It worked with my sandals..

though at that time I didn't know the words "worked with".




But from me now as a grown up, I don't want to see that building turned into bilge.

Do you remember what years the Chicago American was printed? I think I remember it, in my window of time there, '50-'55.

There was a Marshall Field's in Evanston, we used to go there. I took a recent picture of the building, this year when I met a2kers in Chicago.

Talk about a jolt, me seeing Evanston. (I left at 13, I'm 64),

There was a very early mall built, one of the beginning malls, and Oakbrook might have been the name, then again, maybe not. A mid fifties project.

Still, the diasporazation of primo department stores was a part of the downgrading of the central cities.

In the meantime, I've a friend who had a big role in the designing of

oh, no, I forget.

kidding, but not really. Whatever the big mall in the midwest was, he worked out the drip irrigation, no small deal.

Osso stares...
why is this necessary?

I remember, the Herald.

I also remember the giant book department at Fields and who can forget Christmas at Fields with all the decorations?

We're just talking, girlfriend...

I became cognizant of the Chicago American in the mid-60's. I was ten. My mother would buy the Sun-Times to read on the way to work every morning and in the afternoon, the American was delivered by the paperboy, a little guy I went to school with, so we had both papers in the house and I thought, as a kid, that it was a little redundant to read both papers but that was the routine for many years.

In the mid-60's, my aunt used to work at Carson's downtown (my SIL still does!) and she had a framed pen and ink illustration that was done of the women's dress department back then. I don't know if she still has it or not but I sure would like to get my hands on it.

There's very little chance of that. Not only does the exterior of the building have landmark status, but the interior (first two floors, I think) does as well -- something very unusual in Chicago. In any event, Carson's parent company doesn't own the building, so for the landlord it will just be a change of tenants, nothing more.

Fannie Mae closed its stores for a short while, but the company was bought out and the new owners reopened many of the stores. So Fannie Mae still exists, albeit in a somewhat diminished form.

Fannie Mae had the absolute best chocolate fudge with nuts. Melt-in-your-mouth. I would buy 1/2 lb. just for myself and watch them pack the box, with the little paper cups. Tie it in gold string. That was beauty in itself.

I went online last night, after reading Miller's post. They don't sell the fudge anymore.

I would have bought 10 lbs of it if they had!!