Chicago Board of Trade Building - Art Deco Icon

Stop on Historic Chicago Loop Walking Tour, a free self-guided tour.

Continue south on LaSalle Street to the Chicago Board of Trade Building, the 45-story Art Deco skyscraper completed in 1930. Architects Holabird & Root designed this limestone-clad tower that anchors the south end of LaSalle Street canyon. A 32-foot aluminum statue of Ceres, Roman goddess of grain, crowns the building, symbolizing Chicago's role as the world's grain trading center. The building's stepped-back design complies with 1920s zoning laws requiring setbacks to allow sunlight to reach the street. The entrance features intricate Art Deco metalwork, geometric patterns, and a three-story lobby with marble walls and vaulted ceilings. The building served as the commodities trading center where agricultural futures were bought and sold, making Chicago the hub of American agriculture. The trading floor buzzed with shouting brokers using hand signals in the open outcry system until electronic trading replaced it. A 23-story addition was completed in 1980, carefully matching the original's style. The building is a National Historic Landmark representing both Art Deco architecture and Chicago's commercial dominance. The statue of Ceres faces south toward the grain-producing Midwest, watching over Chicago's agricultural empire.