Chicago Board of Trade Building

The Chicago Board of Trade Building is a 44-story Art Deco skyscraper in the Chicago Loop, 184 metres (604 feet) tall. It stands at the south end of LaSalle Street, a street so lined with tall buildings that people call it a "canyon", and it seems to close the view like a giant gate.

It was built in 1930 for the Chicago Board of Trade, a market where grain and other farm goods are traded. Architects Holabird & Root designed it, and it was Chicago's tallest building until 1965. A three-story aluminium statue of Ceres, the Roman goddess of grain and farming, stands at the very top.

History

The Board of Trade opened for business in 1848 in a room above a flour store. Its first permanent home was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, and the exchange has stood on this site since 1885. An earlier building by William W. Boyington stood here until it became unsafe in the 1920s and was torn down in 1929, making room for the current tower.

Why it is famous

The building is known for its Art Deco style, its sculptures, its large stone carvings and its huge trading floors. It became a Chicago Landmark in 1977 and a National Historic Landmark in 1978. It is a popular sight for visitors and has often been used as a place to film movies. In 2012 the CME Group sold the building to a group of real estate investors.

On the globe

The model shows the Art Deco tower with its steep pyramid roof topped by the statue of Ceres.