In 1892, Schlesinger and Mayer hired Adler and Sullivan to do further remodeling and add a new entrance to the corner of State and Madison.

In 1896, Sullivan, no longer working with Adler, was asked back by Schlesinger and Mayer to redesign the façade and add two stories to the newly leased four-story building on Wabash avenue, as well as connecting it to the State Street store.

In 1902, Schlesinger and Mayer came back to Sullivan wanting a twenty-story building on State and Madison, eventually settling for the final twelve stories.

Sullivan came up with a three-stage plan to finish the new building and allow Schlesinger and Mayer to keep their business running during the Christmas season.

At street level, the broad expanses of glass allowed for larger displays of merchandise to outside pedestrian traffic creating the idea of the sidewalk showcase.

In between the windows were bands of terra cotta, replacing an earlier plan for white Georgia marble, to save cost and weight and to avoid delays arising from a stonecutter's strike.

The way this technique was used on the lower floors of the building was so elaborate that it used the natural lighting and shadows to seem almost as if it were magically floating above the ground.

[13] In November 1897, of Schlesinger & Mayer opened a pedestrian bridge connecting its second floor to the Madison/Wabash elevated (train) station behind it amid much controversy.

In 1961, Carson, Pirie, Scott constructed an annex south of the building adding 59,500 sq ft (5,528 m2) of sales area.

[18] The 943,944-square-foot (87,695.3 m2) three-building complex, now renamed the Sullivan Center, is currently owned by Madison Capital, a private real estate company based in New York City.

In December 2010, Freed and Associates announced it was in talks with retailer Target, who expressed an interest in occupying part of the structure.

The new store opened July 26, 2012, and was met with favorable reviews for its clean design while being sensitive to the historic character of the structure.