Royal Exchange, London

The Royal Exchange in the City of London, its eight-column portico facing Bank junction. Thomas Gresham founded the exchange in 1566 on the Antwerp model, and Elizabeth I opened it and gave it its royal title. That first building was lost in the Great Fire of 1666 and its successor burned in 1838, so what stands here is the third, opened by Queen Victoria in 1844. The portico is worth a close look: it was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome, and the open courtyard behind it is where merchants once met to deal face to face. The trading is long gone, and today the building holds luxury shops and restaurants.