Chicago Board of Trade Building

The Art Deco styled Chicago Board of Trade Building was built in 1930 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Designed by the firm of Holabird and Root, it was originally the home of the Chicago Board of Trade. After a $40MM redevelopment it was awarded a TOBY in March, 2015 for “Office Building of the Year” by Chicago’s Building Owners and Managers Association in the Renovated Building category.

Managed by GlenStar Properties, this historic building remains an anchor of the financial district.

The Challenge

Located in Chicago’s ‘Loop’, the Chicago Board of Trade Building sees a heavy volume of pedestrian traffic in the normal course of business. It’s also a highly-visited tourist destination on its own. Tours are conducted daily. Pedestrian safety was essential.

Work was conducted on the West, North and East elevations of the building. The window frames were oxidized (rusted) and needed proper preparation before being refinished with a high-performance field-applied coating.

A restaurant with an outdoor cafe on ground level of the East elevation was in operation from 8:00am until 9:00pm daily and care needed to be taken not to disrupt business.

The Solution

Pedestrian safety was ensured by using both fixed and portable canopies to provide safe passage and protection from crews working overhead.

Corrosion was removed, the rust mitigated and the surface was primed and painted with a high-performance coating.

Work was scheduled in dual shifts to avoid interference with operations at the ground level restaurant. Work was conducted between after business hours on the East elevation with daytime work on the North and West elevations.

The Benefits

The original, historic, Art Deco windows were preserved and restored.

No disruption to local businesses.

The project was completed on schedule, safely and efficiently.