The Statue Atop Chicago Board of Trade: Ceres, Goddess of Grain—Not "Agriculture"

The 31-foot aluminum statue crowning the Chicago Board of Trade Building (141 W. Jackson Blvd) is Ceres, Roman goddess of agriculture, grain crops, fertility, and motherly relationships—not a generic "agriculture statue."

Origins

• Sculptor: John H. Storrs (not John P. Duvall—common error)
• Installed: 1930 (building completed 1930, Holabird & Root architects)
• Material: Aluminum (6,500 lbs), hollow, on steel armature
• Height: 31 ft (statue) + 605 ft (building) = 636 ft above street

Symbolism

Ceres (Greek: Demeter) presides over the grain trade—the CBOT's founding commodity (1848). She holds a sheaf of wheat (left hand) and a caduceus (right hand, commerce symbol). Faces east—toward the Great Lakes grain belt.

Cultural Notes

No head (faceless) — Storrs' modernist choice. Nicknamed "The Lady," "The Goddess." Survived 2000s renovation. Not the only Ceres in Chicago: Federal Building (Kluczynski) has a smaller version.

Why the Confusion?

"Goddess of agriculture" gets shortened to "agriculture statue." But Ceres is specific: grain, harvest, cyclic renewal. The CBOT traded corn, wheat, oats, soy—Ceres's domain exactly.