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Chicago Board of Trade Building: what's nearby, how to get there and when to go · 2026

Residents in the Loop trade evening street life for wind-whipped stone corridors once LaSalle Street offices empty after market hours.

Chicago Board of Trade Building · CC BY-SA 4.0

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About the place

The Chicago Board of Trade Building anchors the LaSalle Street canyon as the historic center of Midwestern commodities trading.

Rising at the head of the LaSalle Street financial canyon, the Art Deco skyscraper operated as the primary marketplace for the Chicago Board of Trade and later CME Group. The exchange anchored global grain and commodities futures before ownership transferred to private commercial investors. Its monumental stone facade terminates vistas down the street, creating the definitive canyon view of the Loop.

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Earlier headquarters suffered repeated disruptions before this tower rose. The Great Chicago Fire leveled an early exchange home, forcing temporary trades inside a wooden hall known as the Wigwam. Later foundation caissons sank into wet soil and became unstable when excavation started across the street for the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Salvaged stone statues of Industry and Agriculture now stand in a nearby public plaza.

Beyond financial trading, the landmark shaped broadcasting and screen productions. Host Don Cornelius launched the dance show Soul Train in an upper studio before moving to Los Angeles. Film directors frequently use the exterior to represent Wayne Enterprises and Gotham municipal headquarters. The surrounding street canyon also provided backdrops for period crime dramas including The Untouchables.

Associations
  • LaSalle Street canyonTowering office walls block low sunlight and funnel strong wind gusts.
  • Wayne EnterprisesThe facade portrayed fictional corporate headquarters in Batman film releases.
  • Commodities tradingOpen pits hosted global futures contracts for agricultural grains.
  • Soul TrainThe television dance franchise began production in an upper-floor broadcast studio.
  • Pedestrian plaza sculpturesCarved stone allegories of Industry and Agriculture stand on display nearby.
Facts
  • The skyscraper anchors the vista at the southern foot of the LaSalle Street canyon in the Loop.
  • Architect William W. Boyington designed an earlier exchange building on the site using Maine granite.
  • Excavation work across the street for the Federal Reserve Bank compromised the previous building foundation.
  • Television host Don Cornelius produced the initial episodes of Soul Train in an upper-story studio here.
Source: Wikipedia
Chicago Board of Trade Building in pictures4 photos · 2 places
Home Insurance Building
Joe Ravi ( Shutterstock iStock Dreamstime ) · cc-by-sa-3.0 · May 10, 2011
Chicago Board of Trade Building
Elisa Rolle · cc-by-sa-3.0 · Jan 18, 2003
TonyTheTiger · cc-by-sa-3.0 · Sep 29, 2012
TonyTheTiger · cc-by-sa-3.0 · Sep 29, 2012

Getting there and staying

2 sources · As of November 4, 2026
Source: TravelHub · OurAirports (public domain)

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