Chicago Stock Exchange Arch

The Chicago Stock Exchange Arch is a piece of historical architecture located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Installed outside of the Art Institute of Chicago, it is one of the few surviving large-scale fragments from the Chicago Stock Exchange building designed in 1893.[2]

Chicago Stock Exchange Arch
The arch in 2004
Map
ArtistDankmar Adler & Louis Sullivan
Year1893 (131 years ago)
MediumTerra-cotta slab[1]
ConditionRelocated
LocationArt Institute of Chicago, Chicago
Coordinates41°52′52″N 87°37′16″W / 41.881°N 87.621°W / 41.881; -87.621
OwnerArt Institute of Chicago

History

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The arch as installed on the bottom center of the longer façade the Chicago Stock Exchange building

The arch was sculpted by Dankmar Adler & Louis Sullivan in 1893 for the Chicago Stock Exchange building. Prior to the building's demolition, the entryway arch and the trading floor were saved for preservation by the Art Institute of Chicago.[3] Other architecturally significant fixtures and pieces from the exchange were preserved, including a staircase saved by The Met Fifth Avenue,[4] and a baluster saved by the Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art.[5]

A 1974 donation of $520,000 by Walter E. Heller Foundation, whose company purchase the Exchange and replaced it with the Heller International Building, allowed for the preservation and reinstallation of the arch and former trading floor.[6] The arch was installed outside the Art Institute of Chicago's east entrance in 1977.[7]

The arch is presently located outside of the Modern Wing of the Art Institute. During the three-and-a-half-year construction of the Modern Wing, the arch had to be shrouded in fabric mesh and scaffolding to protect it from possible construction damage.[8]

Design

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Architectural drawings for the arch

The arch was originally installed at the entrance of the Chicago Stock Exchange Building, a thirteen story building housing the city's stock exchange. While doors were originally present in the arch, they were removed when relocated to the Art Institute of Chicago.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Kahn, Eve M. (2009-05-28). "Assets of Splendor From a Stock Exchange". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2023-07-27. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  2. ^ "Chicago Stock Exchange Arch". Chicago Park District. Archived from the original on 2022-12-02. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  3. ^ "Reconstructing Adler and Sullivan's Stock Exchange Trading Room". The Art Institute of Chicago. 2019-12-16. Archived from the original on 2023-06-08. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  4. ^ "Staircase from Chicago Stock Exchange Building, Chicago". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Archived from the original on 2024-04-05. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  5. ^ "Baluster from the Chicago Stock Exchange". Kirkland Museum. Archived from the original on 2023-06-10. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
  6. ^ Artner, Alan G. (1974-04-04). "$520,000 Art Institute gift to remake stock exchange". Chicago Tribune. p. 6. ISSN 1085-6706.
  7. ^ "Grant Park Sculptures". Grant Park Conservancy. Archived from the original on 2021-03-06. Retrieved 2017-04-09.
  8. ^ Kamin, Blair (2008-08-28). "Preservation icon about to re-emerge". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
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