The building was constructed alongside the Amstel River on a tract of reclaimed land, where trading ships once moored. Officially opened by Queen Wilhelmina in 1903, the structure was designed to accommodate various forms of stock trading, and so it was known as the Koopmansbeurs (Merchant Stock Exchange), which also housed corn, commodities, currencies and cargo trading spots, and later, insurance. The building, however, proved to be too small and in 1912 trade relocated to a new building at Beursplein 5, the present-day Stock Exchange building. Since 1987, the site has operated as a venue for exhibitions, concerts and congresses.

The bell tower of the Beurs van Berlage contains two slogans, “Bide Your Time” and “Await Your Hour.” Customarily, the bell tolls before the start of each day’s trading. The three corners of the Beurs van Berlage are adorned with the statues of the founder of the city of Amsterdam, Gijsbrecht van Aemstel; a 17th-century admiral and conqueror, Jan Pieterszoon Coen; and Hugo de Groot, a law expert of international renown. All the statues are within the plane of the facade, a revolutionary concept for 1903. The building’s former main entrance, located at the Beursplein, was where Queen Wilhelmina performed the building’s opening ceremony in 1903. In 2002, Crown Prince Willem Alexander and Princess Maxima held their marriage ceremony in Beurs van Berlage.

Outside, above the three double doors, stands a relief by Lambertus Zeil, showing allegories of paradise, future and culture in decay. The three tile tableaus inside, set in the room behind the entrance, depict representations of past, present and future of society, a 1903 work by Jan Toorop. The former entrance provides access to the vaults, exhibition spaces and to the Main Hall.The former Main Hall was used for trading in commodities, including copper, coffee and cotton, and also serves as the venue for parties and political events. The room is set in blue and yellow, and crafted in brick, sandstone, granite, iron and wood. A roof of double glass panes, featuring reliefs, supplements the 22 metre high brick wall and multitude of arches by Lambertus Zijl. The Main Hall, the building’s most impressive venue, is still virtually intact and currently hosts parties, political meetings and exhibitions.

The former Corn Exchange Room, with yellow brick walls, has a sawtooth roof with its windows facing north. Berlage designed the hall in a way which would allow corn traders to properly inspect the corn samples. The Toorop Tableaus depict the harvesting stages of corn to its final product as bread. In 1990, architect Zaanen and builder Eekhout built a glass concert hall in the room for the Dutch Chamber Orchestra. The former Stock Exchange Room once hosted the trading of currencies and stocks, but now is a concert hall and a rehearsal site for the Dutch Philharmonic Orchestra.