Board of Trade Building

Armour Bank Building, red winter wheat, trade hall, Country Club Plaza

 

 

Established in 1856 by a group of merchants looking to exchange grain, the Kansas City Board of Trade rose to a place of prominence in Kansas City’s history of economic growth. The original building, completed in 1877, was called the Armour Bank Building, with the trade hall located upstairs. The Trade capitalized on Kansas’ hard red winter wheat, the primary component in bread-making. The Board of Trade moved once before establishing its current location on the Plaza in 1966. As of June 2013, the Board of Trade’s once-bustling face-to-face grain exchange has been bought and moved to Chicago.