According to the University of Chicago , " no surviving documents make clear precisely why the phoenix was adopted as the central element on the Coat of Arms , although several possibilities have been suggested " . It has been hypothesized that the phoenix either signifies the " rebirth " of the University of Chicago , recalling an earlier - but unrelated - University of Chicago that existed in the city from 1857 to 1886 , or it may represent the City of Chicago which was heavily damaged by the Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
Coat of arms of the University of Chicago