What is the history of Zonta International’s Headquarters building?
In 1932, Zonta International moved its headquarters from Buffalo, NY, USA to Chicago, IL, USA. In 1986, the Zonta International Convention Body voted to purchase the building at 557 West Randolph in Chicago’s downtown West Loop neighborhood that now houses Zonta’s Headquarters. The building was erected in 1855 by Henry Horner and served as his home and place of business, “Henry Horner & Co., Wholesale Grocers and Flour Dealers.” The building is one of only two structures in the area to survive the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Since then, it has served only one other business, the Pentecost Brothers fish purveyors. During the 1987 renovation, construction workers discovered traces of a fresco on the third floor, suggesting that the area now serving as the International Board Room may have been a ballroom at one time. Zonta International dedicated the building on 12 October 1987 and discharged the mortgage in 1996. In February 2009 Zonta International moved its headquarters to Oak Brook,
