State Street 1893
Copyright 2005 David R. Phillps

State Street is a large south-north thoroughfare in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It begins on the Near North Side at North Avenue. For much of its course, it lies between Wabash Avenue on the east and Dearborn Street/Lafayette Avenue on the west. It runs through the heart of Downtown Chicago and ends at the southern city limits, intersecting 127th Street along the bank of the Little Calumet River. Its intersection with Madison Street marks the base point for Chicago's address system.

State Street in 1907 Originally known as State Road, it was the main route south through Illinois. In its early days, it was unpaved and known for having mud so deep it could allegedly suck down a horse and buggy. In the late 1860s, Potter Palmer decided to improve State Street by moving the Field, Leiter & Co. store in 1868 and building his own Palmer House hotel on State Street in 1870. The historic Chicago Theatre is also located on State Street.

State Street became a shopping destination during the 1900s and is referred to in the song "Chicago", sung by Frank Sinatra where Frank refers it to "State Street, that Great Street." In 1979, Mayor Jane Byrne converted the downtown portion into a pedestrian mall with only bus traffic allowed. Mayor Richard M. Daley oversaw the State Street Revitalization Project and on November 15, 1996, the street was reopened to traffic.

During the 20th century, State Street was largely eclipsed by Michigan Avenue's Magnificent Mile shopping district. Various projects to restore State Street's glory have been met with some success, and the State Street corridor is gaining residential as well as more traditional commercial development. New York & Company, Old Navy, Urban Outfitters, Borders Books, and The Children's Place have recently opened up flagships on State Street. Today, the only two main department store chains that remain are Macy's (formerly Marshall Field's) and Sears on State. The department store chain Carson Pirie Scott closed their flagship store on State Street on February 21, 2007 after over 100 years of business in that location. In early 2010, the Block 37 mall will open, bringing with it a large group of upscale retailers to State Street. Stores that will have locations there will include Bebe, J. Crew, Puma AG, Club Monaco, and Coach.

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