Bourse Building - Philadelphia, PA
N 39° 56.989 W 075° 08.930
18S E 487286 N 4422198
Beautiful frieze work adorn this late 19th century Victorian building. Celebrating more than 100 years as a center for commerce and trade, The Bourse is now one of Phila's leading commercial complexes, home to about 75 businesses.
Waymark Code: WMCH6Y
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 09/07/2011
Views: 7
The frieze art is all over the entrance and about the front facade of this Victorian building. 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 1895 Victorian building was modeled after the Bourse in Hamburg, Germany. The architects were G. W. & W. D. Hewitt and William Strickland.
The Philadelphia Bourse Building, the first commodities exchange in the United States, was completed in 1895. The building was one of the first steel-framed buildings to be constructed. Three types of masonry were used on the facade: Carlisle redstone, Pompeian buff brick and terra cotta. Inside were large columns and pilasters leading to a balcony surrounding the main floor. Bow-top girders were used to support a skylight at the third floor.
The original tenants included the American Telephone and Telegraphy, Moore and McCormick Steamships lines, grain dealers and export agents. The Bourse was also home to the Commercial Exchange, the Maritime Exchange, Grocers and Importers Exchange and the Board of Trade.
Address
21 S. 5TH STREET
PHILADELPHIA, PA 19106
(215) 625-0300