On April 3 , 1848 , the Board of Trade opened for business at 101 South Water Street . When 122 members were added in 1856 , it was moved to the corner of South Water and LaSalle Streets . After another temporary relocation west on South Water Street in 1860 , the first permanent home was established within the Chamber of Commerce Building on the corner of LaSalle and Washington Streets in 1865 . In 1871 , the Great Chicago Fire destroyed this building . The exchange temporarily reopened two weeks after the fire in a wooden building known as " the Wigwam " at the intersection of Washington and Market Streets , before reclaiming its home in a new building constructed at the Chamber of Commerce site one year later
Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
Chicago Board of Trade Building