The Philadelphia Bourse Building was founded in 1891 by George E. Bartol, a grain and commodities exporter. It was modeled after the Bourse in Hamburg, Germany. It was completed in 1895. The architects were G. W. & W. D. Hewitt

The building was one of the first steel-framed buildings to be constructed. Carlisle redstone, Pompeian buff brick and terra cotta were all used in the construction of the facade.

The Philadelphia Bourse stopped functioning as a commodities exchange in the 1960s. The structure continued to serve as strictly an office building until 1979, when it was sold and renovated to include upscale retail space on floors near the street level. The upper levels of the building continue to house office space. The location has not been particularly successful as a retail destination, and all of the shops and eating places now operating at the Bourse are tourist-oriented. A movie theater specializing in independent films, The Ritz at the Bourse, sits across the street at 4th and Ranstead streets.