Trading room of the Stock Exchange, Chicago

Chicago has been the major center for American architecture since the late 19th century. One of the city’s most important early architects was Louis Sullivan, who, with his partner, Dankmar Adler, designed the Chicago Stock Exchange, built in 1893-94. When the Stock Exchange was demolished in 1972, sections of Sullivan’s elaborate stenciled decorations, molded plaster capitals, and art glass were preserved from the Trading Room, the magnificent centerpiece of this 13-story structure. Using these fragments, the Art Institute was able to reconstruct the Trading Room in its new wing in 1976-77.