Mercantile Exchange Building

Category: Demolished

Built in 1927 at the corner of Franklin and Washington for the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, it served as the epicenter of commodities trading for the Midwest and the United States. Prominent architect Alfred S. Alschuler, best known for his London Guarantee Building at the corner of Wacker and Michigan, combined the classical Beaux Arts style with the Art Deco style, which was popular at the time. Affectionately known as the Butter and Egg Building, incised limestone relief panels depicted such activities as maids milking cows and other barnyard activities, reflecting the purpose for which the building was built.

Sadly, the demolition of the Mercantile Exchange began at the end of 2002 and was largely completed by the spring of 2003. As predicted, a tax-draining vacant lot still occupies the site at the corner of Franklin and Washington Streets. Several of the limestone panels that once adorned the building were acquired by the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and are on display in their current location at 30 S. Wacker Drive.