Founded in 1882, it is one of the oldest and largest organizations devoted to meeting the needs of women in the labor force.

Its headquarters building at 1307 Locust Street in Center City, Philadelphia is a National Historic Landmark.

Soon afterward, the Guild became a separate organization and it needed its own building by 1892 to support programs and classes.

In addition to housing the offices of the guild, it has a library and meeting spaces available for its membership.

The building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1993 in recognition of the guild's history.