, 1881-06-26
THE BOARD OF TRADES REV QUAR-.
TIERS

The order of the Council widening Sher
| man and Pacific avenues and vac.ting Ii
Sale street between Jackson and Van Bure1
| streets assures the transfer of the Board o1
| Trade from its present cramped quarters tC
| the large vacant lot facing Jackson street.
with Sherman street OH one side and Pacific
avenue OIL the other. The talk Of injunc.
| tlOns and other lindranceS will only excite
suspicion Of improper motives, and no efforts
| of thiS kind can prevent the contemplated
| removal. Nothing stays the march Of prog
rcss III Chicago, and the removal OF the Board
Of Trade four blocks south Of its present To-
cation hardly anticipates, but rather follows,
the necessary enlargement of the business
| district of the city.
AL the opposition which this project of re-
| moyal las encountered has been Of Il selfish
| character. To all those who are not specific
| ally Interested i'll rents i'll the nclghburhood
| Of the present Chamber of Commerce the
advantages Of removal have been obvious
from the very first suggestion Of the .'Scott
property" The quarters now occupied By
the Board have been growing too contracted
iii every way. Not only is the present build
ing wholly Inadequate to the demands and
proper conycniences Of the great produce
market-p1ace Of tic Northwest, but the sur
rounding accommodations have become i'll
sufficient, and they will be seriously so in the
near future. The Chamber of Commerce
now fronts upon what will be tie political
centre OF the county as soon as the new
Courthouse and City-1Iall shall be occupied,
and the adjlccnt buildings will hot be able
to accommodate both tho commercial and
professional offices that will crowd around
the present location. The most prosperous
institution Of the most PROSPEROUS city OIL
the continent may fairly claim ample quar-
tcrs. III removing to Jackson street, the
Board Of Trade will secure room for sp1ell-
did and spacious building (75x2,225 feet In
dimenslons). aud the members will have
abundant, airy, and llealtilfuI offices opened
up to them.
The Board Of Trade is merely following
the extension Of the business district 10 the
south. Its removal does not signify an
abandonment, but an enlargement, of the
present business circle. The population of
Chicago cannot grow at the rate of $1,000
year, which is probably the rate OF increase
now, nor the volume Of business enlarge in
the same proportion, without requiring more
space for operating. The business district
is bounded on the east by the lake, and
on the north and west by the river. It can
reach out only toward the south. The move
to be taken by the Board OF Trade will serve
to give authority and strength to the ncccs-
sary enlargement, and i'll two or three years
from now the large business interests Of CHI
cago will occupy practically all the space as
far south as Harrison street. The new Board |
of Trade building at Jackson street will be |
tile geographical centre Of Cllicago's blsi- |
ness district within few years, when thai |
district shall extend as far south as Twelfth |
street.
The utilization of property that has lain !
idle and dead ever since the fire of 1871, and |
before that time was occupied by disgraceful
and dangerous pine sllanties, is not the least
element Of the change. Several
millions of dollars will be expended in I'LL
provements incident to the removal. The
Board OF Trade, or the building association |
which shall represent it in this case, has Oh
tanned its new site at 4 nominal price, and
t may and will eXpend million of dollars
ipon the new structure, with 4 positive
assurance Of making the Investment pay.
handsome buildings will spring up on all
he neighboring property for the accomulo-
latlon OF the banks, the commission Offices.
I'D the various yocations that depend upon
ne board. The 1ocation Of the Government
5uildtng, already occupied, in the same
'eighborllood, further guarantees tile value
nd pern'anency Of tie improvements to
which the Board of Trade will lead.
The avnnnIifuro nf eoYa~x,l /
ars in improvements will benefit all the in
erests In the city. The working classes will /
njoy the distribution Of 50 or 90 per cent !