The present 'Phil' was built in 1937-39 after a fire gutted its predecessor in 1935. The current building is the work of Herbert J. Rowse. The orchestra affiliated with the Phil became the first orchestra with its own hall. The finding and opening of Tutenkhamen's tomb at the time apparently influenced Rowse's designs. The Mezzanine was designed to represent the outer tomb of the Pharaoh's final resting place and the Auditorium was envisaged as the inner tomb with all its treasures.

The decoration in both areas has a distinctly Ancient Egyptian flavour. The Philharmonic Hall closed down for two years in 1993-5 to undergo some much needed repair work. An extra hard skin of concrete was applied so that the sound is now even clearer in the hall. It is now claimed to be acoustically the finest orchestral hall in Europe. In common with orchestral halls throughout the world, the building is frequently used for other purposes. In particular, screenings of classic movies on a huge screen have proved to be exceptionally popular. The building is Grade II listed.

The Grand Foyer bar has two wall panels by Edmund Thompson, who also designed six panels in the Auditorium. On the wall of the concert platform is Adagio, a kinetic sculpture by Marianne Forest.