Philadelphia Bourse
| Philadelphia Bourse Building | |
|---|---|
 (2014) | |
  Location within Philadelphia | |
| General information | |
| Location | 13 South 5th Street Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates | 39°56′59″N 75°8′54″W / 39.94972°N 75.14833°W |
| Construction started | 1893 |
| Completed | 1895 |
| Owner | MRP Realty |
| Height | |
| Roof | 125 feet (38 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 9 |
| Floor area | 280,000 square feet (26,000 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | G. W. & W. D. Hewitt |
The Philadelphia Bourse was a commodities exchange founded in 1891 by George E. Bartol, a grain and commodities exporter, who modeled it after the Bourse in Hamburg, Germany. The steel-framed building – one of the first to be constructed – was built from 1893 to 1895, and was designed by G. W. & W. D. Hewitt in the Beaux-Arts style.[1] Carlisle redstone, Pompeian buff brick and terra cotta were all used in the facade. After the building was sold in 1979 to Kaiserman Company and underwent a subsequent renovation, making the internal area was approximately 286,000 square feet.[2].
MRP Realty took ownership of the Bourse in 2016 and is leading a $40 million renovation of the building[3] with leasing partner Cana Development. The renovation will restore the 19th century building and be home to nine floors of office buildings and a food hall on the first floor. The food hall, The Bourse Marketplace, is set to open in the summer of 2018 where it will feature 27 artisanal food and retail purveyors. [4]
History
Upon his return from a European trip in 1890, Bartol organized the Philadelphia business community. He asked each new member to pledge $1,000 to the project. The Bourse motto was "Buy, Sell, Ship via Philadelphia."[5]
The Bourse stopped functioning as a commodities exchange in the 1960s. The structure continued to serve as 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 continued to house office space. A movie theater specializing in independent films, The Ritz at the Bourse, sits across the street at 4th and Ranstead streets.
As of 2017, the Bourse is touted as "one of Philadelphia’s leading commercial complexes, home to 24 retail and food service stores and more than 50 businesses."[6]
The 105-year-old Victorian building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[6]
See also
References
- Notes
- ^ http://www.ushistory.org/tour/tour_bourse.htm
- ^ Kostelni, Natalie (May 4, 2012), "Historic-area offices take hits", Philadelphia Business Journal, bizjournals.com, retrieved May 16, 2012
- ^ http://www.philly.com/philly/business/real_estate/commercial/20160202_D_C__firm_buys_controlling_stake_in_the_Bourse__plans__40M_renovation.html
- ^ http://www.phillychitchat.com/2017/10/charm.html
- ^ "Philadelphia Bourse". philadelphiabuildings.org. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
- ^ a b "Visit Philadelphia: The Shops at The Bourse". VISITPHILLY.COM. visitphilly.com (The official visitor site for greater Philadelphia). Retrieved 3 April 2017.
External links
Media related to Philadelphia Bourse at Wikimedia Commons
- "A History of the Bourse" on the Bourse website
- Virtual tour of the Bourse food court
- Listing and photographs at the Historic American Buildings Survey