Address: 403 S. State St. Year Built: 1891 Architect: William Le Baron Jenney Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: January 14, 1997

Renowned as one of the nation's most important early examples of skeletal-frame commercial architecture, this building is discussed in every major history of American architecture. A National Historic Landmark, it was designed by William Le Baron Jenney, the so-called "father of the skyscraper." This building was erected by Levi Leiter; later, it was leased by Sears, Roebuck & Co. for its flagship department store. It is the city's oldest surviving department store, a type of building that contributed to State Street's development as a retailing thoroughfare. The so-called "first Leiter" building, built in 1879 at Wells and Monroe, was demolished in 1972.

Le Baron Jenney
Early Skyscrapers The Loop
1.	Exterior View, circa 1890
2.	Upper Floor Detail, photo by Barbara Crane
3.	Capital Detail, photo by Barbara Crane