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State Street is the name given to one of the major thoroughfares in Chicago, Illinois.
Originally known as State Road, this was the main route south through Illinois. In its early days, it was unpaved and known for having mud which could suck down a horse and buggy. In the late 1860s, Potter Palmer decided to improve State Street by moving the Marshall & Leiter store in 1868 and building his own Palmer House hotel on State Street in 1870.
State Street became a shopping destination during the 1900s and is referred to in the song "Chicago", sung by Frank Sinatra. In 1979, Mayor Jane Byrne converted the street 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.
Sources
Chicago Public Library (http://www.chipublib.org/004chicago/chihist.html)
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