The American architect who incorporated Art Nouveau ornamentation in the Carson, Pirie, Scott building was Louis Sullivan.
Sullivan designed the Chicago commercial building in 1899 for the retail firm Schlesinger & Mayer. Although its steel frame, broad windows, and functional plan belong to the Chicago School of architecture, its lower stories are famous for elaborate organic ornament, especially around the corner entrance and storefront level.
Sullivan believed ornament should express a building’s purpose and structure rather than be applied randomly. At Carson, Pirie, Scott, delicate ironwork and flowing plant-like patterns gave the busy department store a memorable street presence while drawing shoppers toward the entrance.
The building’s name can cause confusion: it was originally commissioned for Schlesinger & Mayer and only later became associated with Carson, Pirie, Scott & Co. Daniel Burnham designed later additions, but Sullivan designed the principal building and its celebrated ornament. It is now commonly known as the Sullivan Center.