Site of the 1860 Republican National Convention Chicagoans built this structure, known as the Wigwam, to host the 1860 Republican national convention. Costing about $6,000, the Wigwam could accommodate nearly 10,000 delegates, which purportedly became the largest gathering yet assembled under one roof in the United States. After the 1860 convention the structure hosted other expositions and gatherings until its destruction by fire. Historians cannot determine if the Wigwam burned in the Great Fire of 1871 or at some earlier time. The Chicago City Council has placed a commemorative bronze plaque where the Wigwam stood, at the southeast corner of present-day Wacker Drive and Lake Street.