TikTok Is Obsessed with Chicago’s “Goth” Target

A visit to Target typically looks the same no matter where in the country you are — you’re sure to be greeted by the retailer’s signature red-and-white decor and instantly inviting aura that somehow has you spending way more than you bargained for whether you’re in Nebraska or New York. But one Chicago Target has TikTok in a tizzy, and it’s all because of its unconventional exterior facade that fans have dubbed the “goth Target.”

Located at 1 S. State St. at the Sullivan Center, which was formerly known as the Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Building, the Chicago Tribune notes that the unique building was constructed between 1899 and 1906, featuring a distinct black Art Nouveau-style architecture that has lended to its newfound viral fame online. With a steel-framed structure and large windows, the rounded exterior includes ornamental bronze-plated cast-iron details and white terra cotta lines. Serving as a downtown Chicago retail hub since its earliest days, Target opened its doors in 2012. But as is almost always the case on TikTok, it randomly became a social media superstar nearly a decade after its grand opening.

With the Target store located on the first two floors of the building, developers made sure to restore and preserve the features on the building that make it stand out from the city’s many high-rises. The project was believed to be costly due to the complications of inserting retail features, along with elevators and escalators, into an “oddly configured, historic complex,” notes the Chicago Tribune. Other details like including the iconic bull’s eye logo in a way that makes sense to preserve the architecture (i.e. so it appears to hover within the glass walls instead of being placed on the side of the building) and a lack of “brand overkill” surely make this Target stand out among the rest.

Some interior touches were also preserved or improved upon, such as columns with intricate tops painted white to fit with Target’s signature color scheme, and unique lighting and flooring. Of course, TikTok is loving it, with #gothtarget racking up 6 million views and growing. Target itself is even getting in on the fun — they responded to YouTube star Safiya Nygaard’s recent video tour of the location in the comments section, asking simply, “y be a normie when you can be goth?” Naturally, they added a bat emoji for good measure.