1876 Democratic National Convention - Missouri

The Merchants Exchange Building was a building at Third Street at Chestnut and Pine in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, from 1875 to 1958, that housed the St. Louis Merchants Exchange and hosted the

1876 Democratic National Convention The 1876 Democratic National Convention assembled in St. Louis just nine days after the conclusion of the Republican National Convention in Cincinnati. This was the first political convention held west of the Mississippi River. St. Louis was no ...

Design and demolition

The building was designed by Francis Lee and Thomas Annan, who placed second in a competition for the structure (the winner was

George I. Barnett George Ingham Barnett (1815–1898) was an architect from St. Louis, Missouri. He was called "The Dean of St. Louis Architecture" for his contributions to the buildings of St. Louis as well as for his influence on other architects in the United ...

, 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 The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, members of the exchange split along North-South lines. The Exchange merged back together after the war. The $2 million venue measured by 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 wide and tall), and thus was chosen for the 1876 Democratic National Convention, which was the first Democratic or Republican national convention held west of the Mississippi River. At the same time of its construction, the Merchants Exchange also built the

Eads Bridge The Eads Bridge is a combined road and railway bridge over the Mississippi River connecting the cities of St. Louis, Missouri, and East St. Louis, Illinois. It is located on the St. Louis riverfront between Laclede's Landing, St. Louis, Lacled ...

across the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

. The building was torn down in 1957 to make way for the Gateway Arch. Part of the

Adam's Mark Adam's Mark Hotels & Resorts was a chain of upscale hotels in the United States. The company was headquartered in the HBE Corporation offices in Creve Coeur, Missouri, in Greater St. Louis.Grand Hyatt Hyatt Hotels Corporation, commonly known as Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, is an American multinational hospitality company headquartered in the Riverside Plaza area of Chicago that manages and franchises luxury and business hotels, resorts, and vac ...

Merchants' Exchange of St. Louis

The Merchants Exchange founded in 1836 was the first commodity trading exchange in the United States—predating the

Chicago Board of Trade The Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), is an American futures exchange, futures and options exchange that was founded in 1848. On July 12, 2007, the CBOT merged with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) to form CME Group. CBOT and three other excha ...

. It was the successor of the city's

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...

and 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, under the doctrine of

eminent domain Eminent domain, also known as land acquisition, compulsory purchase, resumption, resumption/compulsory acquisition, or expropriation, is the compulsory acquisition of private property for public use. It does not include the power to take and t ...

, when the city expanded the

St. Louis Science Center The Saint Louis Science Center, founded as a planetarium in 1963, is a collection of buildings including a science museum and planetarium in St. Louis, Missouri, on the southeastern corner of Forest Park. With over 750 exhibits in a complex of o ...

. The Exchange made a last gasp in 2001 to conduct computerized trading of future trading of freight on the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. It has quietly ceased operation.

References

External links

* Lucas and Garrison'
Merchants' Exchange of St Louis
* Morgan, George H (Sept 1911
Merchants' Exchange of St Louis
''The Annals of the American Academy of Policy Science'' Vol. 38, No. 2, American Produce Exchange Markets (Sep., 1911), pp. 222-226 * Photo of th
Presidents of the Merchants' Exchange of St Louis
Arista C. Shewey (1892) * Photo of th
Merchants' Exchange Building
W. C. Persons (circa 1929) {{Democratic National Convention venues Buildings and structures in St. Louis Commercial buildings in Missouri Demolished buildings and structures in St. Louis Buildings and structures demolished in 1958