Charles A. Stevens Building I

Charles A. Stevens Building I
Life Span: 1895-1911
Location: 111 to 115 N. State
Architect:

Lakeside Business Directory of the City of Chicago, 1899

Stevens Chas A & Bros

Lakeside City Directory of the City of Chicago, 1904
Stevens Chas A & Bros (incorporated) Chas A Stevens pres; Thomas A Stevens v pres; John H Stevens sec and treas; dress silks and ladies’ ready-to-wear goods 109 to 115 State and 109 and 111 Wabash av

Chicago Tribune, February 14, 1897

GROWTH OF A GREAT SILK HOUSE.
Charles A. Stevens & Bros. Improve Their State Street Property.
Charles A. Stevens & Bros., proprietors of the lurgest exclusive silk house in America, at No 111 State street, have extended their premises by leasing the building adJoining on the north. A large force of workmen began last night to entirely remodel the front of the store, making it modern and well adapted to the display of goods The new front will be of plate-glass and iron.

The gradual expansion of this great silk house is the result of the untiring work of Charles A. Stevens. He began business in Chicago ten years ago on a comparatively small scale in the Central Music Hall Building. Combining an acquaintance with the demande for fine silks with a knowledge of the best European markets, where this class of goods may be purchased, the suceess of the business was at once assured. He embarked in the silk importing business exclusively, and after the first year was compelled to seek larger quarters for his fast growing business.

In 1889 the present firm was organized. Shortly after this the store at No. 111 State street was leased, the first floor only being occupied. With the growth of the business more space has been added from time to time, until now the firm occupies the five floors of the double building, each floor having an area of 50×150 feet. It is only a question of time when more space will be needed to accommodate the firm’s business at the present rate of growth.

Charles A. Stevens & Bros. are unquestionably the largest manufacturers of ready-to-wear silk garments in the United States, if not in the world, besides being the only house in the country engaged exclusively in the importation of dress silks. Their goods are handled by the leading retailers in every city of the Union. They have keen representatives in every silk producing center in the world, and employ a large force of traveling men in their wholesale department in addition to 470 people employed in the house in various capacities. The sales in the wholesale department alone aggregate about $8,000 a day in value.

The marvelous extent of the business is only equaled by the esthetic beauty of the goods displayed. At all times there are in the show windows a wonderful collection of the special creations of the firm which are beautiful in material and design. The sales this year will exceed $5,000,000, giving an idea of the splendid proportions of the firm’s trade, which stands first in this special line.

The volume of business done by this house in dollars by far exceeds that of many houses occupying from six to eight times the space. It is a question as to whether any merchandising business in Chicago ever grew so rapidly as this, and yet Mr. Stevens declares that they are now arriving at a position where they will grow more rapidly in the future than they ever have in the past.

When Mr. Stevens was asked if the department stores did not interfere with their business, he said: “I do not like to reply to that question, for the reason that they numbered hundreds of large department stores among their best customers. It is no doubt a well-known fact to all thinking people that department stores secure a majority of their supplies from specialty houses, and so long as we have nothing but department stores to compete with in Chicago you may rest assured that our growth will be no less rapid than it has been in the past.”
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The firm consists of three brothers—Charles A., John H., and Thomas A. Stevens. Charles A. Stevens, the head of the firm, has the reputation among the leading business-men of the country as a shrewd manager and a good systematizer

Chicago Tribune, September 26, 1897

IMPORTANT STATE STREET LEASE.
Building at 113 and 115 Secured by Charles A. Stevens & Bros.
Charles A. Stevens & Bros. have leased the premises 113 and 115 State street, adjoining their present building on the south, for a term of twenty years. Possession of the main floor and basement will be had upon the expiration of the lease of the present tenants. Wilson Bros., on March 1, 1898. The building is owned by E. D. and J. W. Stevens, who have a ninety-nine year lease of the ground from J. M. Williams. Stevens & Bros. have bought out the leases of the tenants of the upper part of the building and are now in possession, the floors being devoted to their silk business. This gives the firm a total frontage of 96 feet on State street. The buildings are five stories high, and 150 feet deep. As soon as possession of the main floor is secured the entire fronts of the buildings will be replaced with a uniform one of iron and plate glass. This improvement and others arranged for will involve an expenditure of $75,000.

The growth of this silk house has been remarkable, and the addition to the premises occupied by the firm is made necessary by the rapid growth of the business. Charles A. Stevens came to Chicago eleven years ago and opened a silk store in Central Music Hall. His brothers followed three years later, the firm being composed of Charles A., John H., and Thomas A. Stevens, all of whom are practical in the handling and developing of the silk trade. From Central Music Hall they opened a store on the first floor of the building expanding at 111, their business gradually expanded until they occupied the entire structure. Later on they secured the greater part of the building to the north, and last January got possession of the rest of the building.

Speaking of the growth of the house Mr. Stevens states that its development has just commenced. The magnitude of the silk business in this country, and its development in Chicago particularly, is considered phenomenal. In 1896 manufacturers and importers handled $165,000,000 of silks, and in 1897 it is estimated that they will handle $185,000,-000, one-tenth of which Mr. Stevens estimates will be handled from Chicago, justifying his statement by the history of the business during the last few years.

Chicago Tribune, April 3, 1898

CHARLES A. STEVENS & BROS.’ STORE.
Improvement in State Street to Be Opened Thursday.
Charles A. Stevens & Bros. will open their new store at 111 to 115 State street on Thursday. The changes in the building which have been under way for the last three weeks are now practically completed, and the structure

By the rearrangement of the front of the store a good window frontage has been obtained for display. The large main floor will be given up almost entirely to dress silks, velvets, ribbons, grenadines, gauzes, chiffons, laces, neckwear, gloves, hosiery, and underwear. On the second floor will be the millinery. The size will be 50×150 feet, making it the largest high-grade millinery da-partment in the United States. The second floor of 111 State street will be occupied by black goods, art needle work, decorative and drapery silks. The second floor of 109 will be used as a millinery trimming-room, with a small space for teaching art needle work. The third floor through all three buildings, 96×150 feet, will be used for the cloak, suit, waist, and skirt department. The fourth floor will be used entirely for manufacturing. The fifth floor will be used entirely for reserve stock and wholesale. A waiting and retiring room for women will be built on a mezzanine floor in the rear of the first floor. where telephones, writing desks, and all modern conveniences will be found.

The growth of this firm has been rapid since the business was started in 1888 in the small room over the entrance to Central Music Hall. In 1890 they took the main floor with the first floor above it at 75 State street. Two years later they removed to 111 State street, taking the first and second floors and a part of the fourth. Their business grew until they rented the entire building and also the upper floors of the building adjoining on the north. A year ago they acquired from the Foreman Shoe company the main floor of 109 State street and the upper portion of the building ocupied by Wilson Bros, giving them an extension of 100 feet frontage on the third, fourth, and fifth floors. In July of last year they secured from their elder brothers, B. D. and J. W. Stevens, a twenty-year lease on the entire building at 113 and 115 State street. This building has been remodeled since March 12 to suit the wants of the firm.

Chicago Tribune, June 23, 1912

Charles A. Stevens & Bros. will begin at once the erection of a twenty-two story mercantile structure on the site of their present store at 17-25 North State street, extending from Mandel Bros new store to the , through to Wabash avenue.

With all its equipment it is expected to cost approximately $3,000,000.

It will be one of the most modern business structures In Chicago and it will be unique in that it also will become the home of a large number of retail shops, designed to give every advantage in the way of exclusive and attractIve surroundings.

Six Stories and Basement Store.
The basement and the first six stories above ground will be occupied in their entirety by the business of Charles A. Stevens & Bros, while the remaining twelve upper stories, each containing more than 10,000 square feet net rentable space, will be given over to the specialty shops, which will be reached by ten modern high speed elevators.

A unique feature will be a spacious arcade, “Style Alley,” extending through the entire block, with attractive show windows on side for the exclusive use of the shops above.

The building will be nineteen stories above ground and three below, and will occupy 20,000 square feet of ground, whieh, on the basis of a value of $250 a square foot, represents a total value of $5,000,000.

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