Located at the grand terminus of LaSalle Street, the Chicago Board of Trade is one of the finest Art Deco buildings in Chicago. Built in 1929 and designed by Holabird and Root, the building features a limestone exterior with the quintessential setbacks of the style and carved stone ornament. Crowning the 42-story tower is a pyramidal metal roof topped by an aluminum statue of Ceres, the Roman Goddess of agriculture. The interior features a series of dramatic lobbies with six varieties of marble, nickel silver metal trim and ornamental plaster. The main lobby is a three-story arcaded space with nickel silver storefronts, balconies, marble piers and walls and a luminous ceiling. All of the lobbies were illuminated by stylized fixtures with nickel silver frames and translucent glass. The building is a National Historic Landmark and a City of Chicago Landmark.

Although the building has been well maintained and retains a high level of integrity, some insensitive alterations had been made to the lobbies and the building required renovations and improved lighting. In 2004, Harboe Architects personnel, then working for McClier, began renovation efforts to restore the Art Deco splendor of the lobbies, improve elevator operations and modernize various building systems. Challenges for the preservation team included recreating missing light fixtures and metal features, integrating fire protection systems into the restored lobbies and highlighting the architecture with improved lighting. Historic documents and finish analysis facilitated accurate restoration. The award winning project was completed in under the guidance of Austin/AECOM with Harboe Architects as Preservation Architect.