New York Stock Exchange 1903

The infamous neo-classical New York Stock Exchange building at 18 Broad Street was designed by New York City architect George B. Post in 1903 and served as a replacement of the previous headquarters which stood in the same lot. The series of white statues on the building's pediment were not added until 1908-09. The headquarters became a landmark in 1985.

The New York Stock Exchange was not always as glamorous as it is today, however. The NYSE can be traced as far back as 1792, when stock dealers and auctioneers met each day to discuss finances under an old Buttonwood Tree at 68 Wall Street. By the end of that year, the businessmen signed the Buttonwood Tree Agreement, which led to the formal organization of the New York Stock Exchange (originally named the New York Stock Exchange Board). By 1793, the Board had its first makeshift indoor headquarters at Tontine Coffee House at the corner of Wall and Water Streets. The headquarters moved around Wall Street several times before settling at 18 Broad Street.

The Exchange has survived a series of financial panics and crashes, the most notable at the outbreak of World War I in 1914. The shutdown lasted for four months and two weeks–the longest exchange shutdown in history.

Today, the NYSE is the largest stock exchange in the world.