Art Deco Tower in Chicago's Loop, No Tickets Needed

Chicago, here is a lunch break upgrade waiting at the foot of LaSalle Street. The Chicago Board of Trade Building, a 1930 Art Deco tower designed by Holabird and Root, caps the canyon of the Loop with a statue of Ceres perched at the very top.

Movie buffs will recognize the facade. The building famously doubled as Wayne Tower in the Batman film trilogy, and the real thing looks every bit as dramatic in person.

Step inside and the fairly plain exterior gives way to intricate Art Deco detail, with stone, glass and metal layered across ornate elevator doors, ceilings and doorways. Visitors can wander in without a ticket, peek into the historic safe deposit vault, and browse exhibits tracing the story of the old financial trading pits.

Timing matters here. The building welcomes visitors Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 4 PM and stays closed on weekends and federal holidays. Reviewers rate it 4.6 stars across nearly 1,200 ratings, which makes it an easy add to any Loop architecture walk.