Insurance Exchange Building

Insurance Exchange Building, Continental National Bank
Life Span: 1883-1912
Location: SW corner of W. Adams and S. LaSalle (208 S. LaSalle)
Architect: Burnham & Root

Lakeside Annual Directory of the City of Chicago, 1885

Insurance Exchange Bldg.

Lakeside Annual Directory of the City of Chicago, 1887
Insurance Exchange Bldg.—LaSalle sw. cor. Adams
Continental National Bank, LaSalle sw. cor. Adams

Inter Ocean, January 1, 1885

Insurance Exchange, southwest corner LaSalle and Adams streets; Burnham & Root, architects

Chicago Tribune, August 12, 1885

INSURANCE EXCHANGE BUILDING,
A Brief Description of This Imposing Structure.
Without a doubt this fine building is anotber important addition to the architectural beauty of Chicago. It is a ten-story building of St. Louis pressed brick and terra-cotta and its substantiality and fire-proof qualities are beyond question simply perfect; it has a frontage oi 165 feet on La Salle street and sixty feet on Adams; most of the offices are already rented; the remaining ones undoubtedly soon will be. For particulars call on Mr. W. K. Nixon and J. Foster Rhodes, the agents of the building, whose office for renting the remaining rooms is now in the building.

Few people stop to think that if there were no elevators there would be few high buildings. But to the elevator is due the value of “sky-room,” heretofore wasted. The insurance building is a forcible example of the recent improvement in elevator service and the sound judgment of the owners in having six of Hale’s hydraulic elevators placed in the building.

The quality of the St. Louis Hydraulic-pressed brick has been tested in almost every important office building recently built, especially the Pullman, Commercial National, First National, and Montauk office buildings, but never to better advantage than here. A new departure, that of carving brickwork—beautiful in its effect—is made possible by the use of this brick, its freshness of color remaining perfect for many years.

The architectural treatment of the main entrance vestibule is something novel and handsome. It is in the shape of an oval dome, thirty to forty feet in hight, and aside from the solid stone steps the whole interior of the vestibule is built of pressed brick and terra-cotta. The pressed brick used for this, different from those of the exterior walls, were made expressly by the Chicago Anderson Pressed-Brick Company for this work, shaped and molded to conform to the special require ments of the design. The Anderson Company seem to be prepared with facilities and enterprise to fulfill any special requirements of this kind, and the line quality of these brick makes them most desirable for any such finished work as this described. The masonry work was executed by E. Sturtevant, Room 9, 14 Dearborn street.

Hay & Prentice, 34 and 36 Canal street, corner of Washington, filled the contract for steam-warming and ventilating apparatus with their standard and popular single-pipe system, in which the radiators are very simple and certain to manage. The Montauk, the Traders, the Imperial, the Parker, and other completed and half-finished buildings in close proximity to the Fire-Insurance Exchange Building, contain examples of the same efficient system by Hay & Prentice.

The fast-growing popularity of the Goodwin gas-stoves has made them an essential in residences, and has brought their advantages before the builders of office structures. have been placed in every office of this building by the Goodwin Gas-Stove & Meter Company, B. H. B. Twining, manager, 78 Dearborn street, and are a practical success. Besides the valuable economy in wall construction permitted by the small dimension of the escape-pipes used in lieu of the chimneys, the ventilation is perfect, and this, added to cleanliness and moderate running expense, makes them s desideratum in the renting of office buildings.

The hardware was furnished by Orr & Lockett. Nos. 184 and 186 Clark street, who have succeeded in securing most of these large contracts and supplying them from a stock that seems inexhaustible.

The Tenants.
The Home Insurance Company of California, “Western department,” under the management of A. W. Spalding, will occupy the entire suite of rooms on Adams street fronting on La Salle on third floor. This is one of the leading fire-insurance companies which through a department in Chicago is building up a successful business in the West. The company on the Pacific coast has for years past done the largest premium business of any company, English or American, and all indications point to a prosperous establishment of its business here under Manager Spalding’s direction.

The Continental National Bank now permanently occupies the large corner room on the main floor fronting on La Salle and Adams streets, which has been fitted up in such elegant taste that it certainly makes if not the largest the most convenient banking-room in the city.

Keen & De Lang, the well-known Board of Trade stationers, will occupy three-fifths of the entire south half of first floor; main entrance at 222 La Salle street, office and wholesale fronting 105 Quincy. This will be a model stationery store, complete in every department.

All the office furniture and brass work in the Continental National Bank, in Geo. C. Eldredge & Co.’s office, Chamber of Commerce, and in Hamill & Brine’s office, Home Insurance Building are furnished by A. H. Andrews & Co.

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