Dark Knight Trilogy

1. Chicago Board of Trade

Chicago, IL

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The Chicago Board of Trade building brings the fictional headquarters of Wayne Enterprises to reality in Batman Begins at the foot of LaSalle Street "Canyon", Chicago's downtown financial district. Located at 141 W. Jackson Boulevard, this historical city landmark easily defined itself as the token of Gotham City wealth with it's art deco design and stately impression. This popular tourist destination is quickly recognized by the surrounding allegorical stone figures and a towering thirty one foot aluminum statue of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, standing atop the building. Each statue, such as an Egyptian holding grain, a Native American holding corn, and bulls protruding above street level, represent the functions within the building as well as the exchange's heritage as a commodities market. Though Wayne Tower is described in the comics as having thirteen guardian gargoyles, Director Nolan decided to strip the building of all figures and instead imprinted a Wayne Enterprises logo into the side, as seen in the film. The Chicago Board of Trade building was constructed in 1930 and remained the tallest building in Chicago until 1965, aligning itself with the history and grandeur of the Wayne Tower, which was constructed in the early 20th century and remained the tallest building in Gotham City. Director Nolan emphasized Wayne Tower's function as the symbol and center of Gotham, acting as the hub of the city's water and rail system. To portray this emphasis, the building was prominently viewed several times in the film with the introduction of Wayne Enterprises as the leading source of Gotham's wealth and employment, Bruce Wayne's return to the company, and The Batman's defeat of Ra's al Ghul. Another notable feature that filmmakers took advantage of is the building's flood lighting which illuminates multiple crevices, emphasizing the building's height and elegance. A comeback appearance in The Dark Knight displayed the building's flood lights and pinnacle goddess Ceres in the backdrop of Gotham during the epic stand off between The Batman and The Joker.