It was built in 1939 to house one of three Daily Express offices; the other two similar buildings are located in London and Glasgow.

The pre-World War II building is notable for its timeless, "space-age"[3] quality and is often mistaken for being much younger than it is due to its futuristic avant garde appearance.

[4] The building is futurist art deco, specifically streamline moderne with its horizontal lines and curved corners.

[13] Max Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook, owner of the Daily Express, commissioned three buildings in London, Manchester and Glasgow which would help accommodate this growth.

Beaverbrook stipulated that all three buildings should be of the highest architectural quality, and assigned renowned engineer Sir Owen Williams to assist in the delivery of them.

Although similar to both buildings, it was uniquely different with Williams acting as engineer and architect; the former two were both designed by Ellis and Clark.

It features typical Art Deco motifs: rounded corners, setbacks and a simple contrasting clear and black glass curtain wall.

The structure was sold to Washington, D.C.–based A&A Investments in 2006 for £20.5 million, after previous owners Stockbourne had occupied the building for 12 months.