Employing a combination of nondescript commercial architecture and ironic historical references, Guild House represented a conscious rejection of Modernist ideals and was widely cited in the subsequent development of the Postmodern movement.

[1][2] The building's architecture combines historical forms with "banal" 20th-century commercialism,[8] hiding a "slyly intellectual agenda" behind its "apparent ordinariness".

[3][4] The facade is anchored by a thick column of polished black granite and crowned with a large arched window opening onto the building's upstairs common area.

"[10] A large block-letter sign above the entrance spells the name of the building, while the roof was originally crowned with an oversize, nonfunctional television antenna serving as both an abstract sculptural element and a literal representation of the inhabitants' chief pastime.

The stepped organization of the facade allowed most of the units to have south-, east-, or west-facing windows, giving the inhabitants sunlight and a view of the street below.