Merchants Exchange Building (St. Louis)

Merchants Exchange Building (St. Louis)

Coordinates: 38°37′34″N 90°11′15″W / 38.62612°N 90.187379°W / 38.62612; -90.187379

Interior of the Merchants Exchange Building during the 1876 Democratic National Convention, in which Samuel J. Tilden was named the party's nominee for president

The Merchants Exchange Building was a building at Third Street at Chestnut and Pine in St. Louis, Missouri from 1875 to 1958 that housed the St. Louis Merchants Exchange and hosted the 1876 Democratic National Convention.

The building was designed by Francis Lee and Thomas Annan who placed second in a competition for the structure (the winner was George I. Ingraham but his work was considered too expensive.

The building was the second Merchants Exchange on the location. The first building was built in 1857. During the American Civil War members of the exchange split along North-South lines. The Exchange merged back together after the war.

It cost $2 million and measured 235 feet (72 m) by 187 feet (57 m) and was actually two separate buildings.

The second and third floors of the western half of the building had an iron truss system that supported the roof and created the largest open indoor space in the United States at the time of its construction (235 feet long and 98 feet (30 m) wide and 65 feet (20 m) tall) and thus was chosen for the 1876 convention which was the first Democratic or Republican national convention west of the Mississippi River.

At the same time of its construction the Merchants Exchange built the Eads Bridge across the Mississippi River.[1]

The building was torn down in 1958. Part of the Adams Mark Hotel was built in its location. In 2008 the Adams Mark announced plans to become a Grand Hyatt.

The Merchants Exchange founded in 1836 was the first commodity trading exchange in the United States—predating the Chicago Board of Trade. In its early years it was referred to as the Chamber of Commerce. Articles about the 1876 Convention referred to it as the Chamber of Commerce. After vacating its downtown location, it was evicted in 1995 from its new location by eminent domain when St. Louis expanded the St. Louis Science Center. The Exchange made a last gasp in 2000/2001 to conduct computerized trading of future trading of freight on the Mississippi River. It has quietly ceased operation.

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Merchants exchange building (disambiguation) — Merchants Exchange Building may refer to: Merchants Exchange Building (Baltimore, Maryland) Merchants Exchange (Boston, Massachusetts) Merchants Exchange Building (Philadelphia) Merchants Exchange Building (St. Louis) Merchants Exchange Building… …   Wikipedia

  • Merchants Bridge — Carries Norfolk Southern, CSX, Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis, Kansas City Southern Crosses Mississippi River Locale St. Louis, Missouri Design Steel truss bridge …   Wikipedia

  • Louis Henry Sullivan — Louis Sullivan  Cet article concerne l architecte. Pour le médecin et homme politique, voir Louis Wade Sullivan. Pour les homonymes, voir Sullivan. . Louis Sullivan …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Louis Sullivan — Infobox Person name = Louis Henri Sullivan image size = 203px caption = birth date = September 3, 1856 birth place = Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. death date = Dda|1924|4|14|1856|9|3 death place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S. occupation = Architect… …   Wikipedia

  • Louis Sullivan — Cet article concerne l architecte. Pour le médecin et homme politique, voir Louis Wade Sullivan. Pour les homonymes, voir Sullivan. Louis Sullivan Louis Henry Sullivan, architecte américain, est né le 3  …   Wikipédia en Français

  • United States Supreme Court Building — Supreme Court Building U.S. National Register of Historic Places U.S. National Historic Landmark …   Wikipedia

  • United States Supreme Court building — Infobox nrhp | name =Supreme Court Building nrhp type =nhl caption =front of the Supreme Court Building at dusk, after renovation location= One First Street Northeast Washington, D.C. lat degrees = 38 lat minutes = 53 lat seconds = 27 lat… …   Wikipedia

  • Louis XI of France — Infobox French Royalty|monarch name=Louis XI the Prudent title=King of France caption= reign=22 July 1461 − 30 August 1483 coronation=15 August 1461, Reims othertitles= The King of France The Dauphin of Viennois full name= predecessor=Charles VII …   Wikipedia

  • History of the Jews in St. Louis, Missouri — The history of Jews in St Louis goes back to at least 1807. St. Louis is the largest urban area in the state of Missouri in the United States. Early Jewish history of St. LouisCommonly considered the pioneer Jew of St. Louis was Wolf Bloch, a… …   Wikipedia

  • Saint-Louis, Senegal — Saint Louis   Town   Colonial buildings lining the island of Saint Louis …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”