19 Dec bldg. 51 and ryerson archive collaboration on chicago stock exchange trading room exhibit now open
after several months of an intensive collaboration – between eric j. nordstrom of bldg. 51 and tigerman mccurry art and architecture archivist nathaniel parks of the ryerson and burnham archives – spent gathering ephemera and artifacts chronicling the recovery and reconstruction of adler and sullivan’s chicago stock exchange building (1893) trading room, the finalized exhibit has been installed and is now available for viewing at the art institute’s ryerson and burnham libraries for the next three months.
the exhibit was initially conceived of by eric j. nordstrom after several lengthy discussions with john vinci, who orchestrated the trading room’s salvage and reconstruction. images and artifacts – displayed in roughly chronological order – are designed to offer a compelling narrative on the life of the trading room, from the time the room was completed in 1894, to its demolition in 1972 and its reconstruction, completed in 1977.
exhibition objects courtesy of eric j. nordstrom of bldg. 51, the burnham and ryerson archives and the john vinci collection.
Reconstructing Adler and Sullivan’s Stock Exchange Trading Room
–
EXHIBITION
- Ryerson and Burnham Libraries Reading Room
Admission actions
- Buy tickets
- Become a member
-
Exhibitions are free with museum admission.
The Chicago Stock Exchange building was one of the most distinctive commercial structures built by the architecture firm Dankmar Adler and Louis H. Sullivan, and the expansive and ornately decorated Trading Room was its centerpiece. Although the original building was demolished in 1972, its exterior entrance arch and the Trading Room were preserved and reconstructed at the Art Institute of Chicago for generations to come. This exhibition traces the Trading Room’s journey to the Art Institute through architectural fragments along with press accounts, photographs, building plans, and correspondence. With these rich resources drawn from the Ryerson and Burnham Archives and two private collections, this exhibition tells the full story of the design, construction, remodeling, demolition, salvage operations, and eventual reconstruction of the space.
Visitors to this exhibition are also encouraged to view the reconstructed Trading Room, located on the east side of the museum near gallery 144. The entire room is treated as a work of art documenting Adler and Sullivan’s innovations in structure and style that are characteristic of the Chicago School of Architecture.
all images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom.
