The Inter-State Exposition Building, an immense structure designed by W. W. Boyington and built in 1873, stood on the east side of Michigan Avenue at Adams Street. Until it was replaced by the current Art Institute of Chicago building in 1892, it hosted under its glass and iron roof (crowned with three cupolas) a series of trade shows, musical performances, political meetings, and public gatherings. The most significant event, however, was the original Inter-State Exposition, which ran from late September to mid-November of 1873. Its official aim was to promote the commercial promise of the upper Middle West, but its more important purpose was to declare the rebuilding a triumph.
