It was designed by architect Albert Pretzinger for Dayton Daily News founder James M. Cox.

According to Cox's autobiography, he was turned down for a loan by a local banker who told him “Newspapers have never been known to earn money.

Of course we can’t accommodate you.” [2] After being turned down for a bank loan to start the paper, Cox asked Pretzinger to "build him a damn bank" so it was modeled after the Knickerbocker Trust building in New York City.

[3] Among the most significant components of the three-story building are those surrounding the entrance: three bays wide, the facade features a set of Corinthian columns, a set of fluted columns in the Doric order that form a grand frontispiece around the entrance, and a partial pediment with a cornice supported by cornucopiae.

The Schwind Building at 27 Ludlow, built in 1913, was imploded on August 17, 2013, as part of the demolition process.