Baird & Warner

Baird & Warner History

Founded in 1855, Baird & Warner is the largest independent real estate broker in Illinois and the oldest in the country. With more than $4 billion in annual sales, we have a strong commitment to Chicagoland and take pride in our five generations of local ownership.

Our Story

Baird & Warner came into existence as L.D. Olmsted & Co., a real estate loan firm. The company made its first transaction on March 28, 1855, a $5,000 loan on a portion of a block now in the heart of Chicago's financial district. Lucius Olmsted was soon joined by his boyhood friend, Lyman Baird, and a partnership was established in 1860.

Along with most of Chicago, the company's offices were destroyed by The Great Chicago Fire of 1871. However, the company's office safe was unharmed and all its contents were intact. This became especially significant when city officials discovered that public real estate records had been destroyed by the fire. The privately owned ledgers and papers served to insure continuity of titles and lot lines, and individuals and companies quickly moved to rebuild their stores and offices.

Some 20 years later the company became involved once again in Chicago's destiny as a direct consequence of the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. One of the innovations, a newly built elevated train powered by small steam engines to carry visitors from the Loop to the fairgrounds, proved so popular that the public demanded an expansion of the service.

Baird & Warner was engaged to obtain the land and rights-of-way for several elevated lines as well as sites for major railroad depots.

The completion of the North Side elevated stimulated real estate development and in 1897, prompted by steadily expanding business, the company established its first branch office under the L tracks at Wilson and Broadway.

For the near-century that has followed that initial expansion, Baird & Warner has blossomed as Chicago's biggest and best independent residential company, leading, following and growing with the expansion of the Chicago metropolitan area.

Through a Great Fire, world wars, and countless daunting economic cycles, including the depression of the 1930's, the company has remained an integral part of the very fabric of Chicago. It has been bold, aggressive, flexible, resilient and resourceful in responding to the constantly shifting challenges and opportunities of the volatile real estate industry.