In 1837, John Shillito bought out his partners and moved to larger quarters on the north side of 4th Street.

[1] In 1857, John Shillito acquired property on the other side of the street, and built a five-story department story, the largest such building in the city.

Shillito again used architect McLaughlin to erect an L-shaped six-story building with basement and sub-cellar[2][page needed] on the SW corner of Race and Seventh Streets, moving his store there in 1879.

[4] The Shillito name was merged with corporate sibling Rike's to form Shillito-Rike's in 1982; the name was dropped altogether in 1986 in favor of Lazarus.

When the building was renovated in 1998, the developer was surprised to uncover the atrium space with the original octagonal skylight, which was then updated with energy-efficient materials.

John Shillito maintained his image as honest, and also dedicated himself to improving the Cincinnati civic experience.

By the 1880s, the John Shillito Company was distributing 24-page sales booklets, with stories of humorous or informative visits to the store.