It was commissioned by H. Black and Company, one of the largest manufacturers of women's clothing in the United States, and designed by noted New York City architect Robert D. Kohn.

Morris graduated from Harvard in 1890, entered the family business, was named president of the company in 1903, and joined its board of directors in 1905.

The mortar in the exterior walls was dyed purple (at a cost of $1 [$33 in 2023 dollars] per thousand bricks), and the raked joint both deeply incised and wider than usual.

Two workmen were paid $60 ($1,962 in 2023 dollars) to stencil a two-color, geometric "weaving" pattern onto the upper parts of the columns and the transverse beams.

To provide pressure for this system, a five-story, 130-foot (40 m),[5] freestanding water tank was built at the rear of the central wing inside a brick and stucco tower.

[6][18][10] Kohn strongly believed that a handsome building improved worker morale and productivity, and he was highly critical of architects who failed to adopt this view.

Architect A.A. Pollard lauded its bold use of color and the use of bright stucco panels against the dark brick where the plain, broader masses of the tower needed adornment.

[26] In February 1928, the Evangelical Association, a small Arminian Methodist denomination based in the Midwestern United States, purchased the empty H. Black & Co. factory from the May Co. for an undisclosed price.

[27] The denomination extensively renovated the plant,[28] painting over much of the interior stencil and tile work[4] and partitioning many of the larger rooms into offices.

[35] Tower Press, like its predecessor, occupied only a portion of the structure,[5] and over the next roughly 40 years a variety of tenants, such as an engineering firm, advertising agency, thermostat manufacturer, furniture store, and college took space in the rest of the building.

[35] Some time in the late 1970s, real estate development company Weston Limited,[34] owned brothers Edward J. and Anthony J. Asher, bought the Tower Press Building.

A joint partnership of local attorneys Murray Bilfield, Robert Meyers, and Martin L. Sandel, the company hoped to sell the eastern third of the building for $600,000 ($1,400,000 in 2023 dollars).

[29][b] By 1993, however, no renovation had occurred, despite the sale of the eastern portion of the structure to local silkscreen printing company owner Dan Gray.

Then the Cleveland Landmarks Commission voted unanimously on June 8, 1994, to place a six-month bar on any demolition work (a ban which could be extended to 12 months, but no further).

[20] The developers put off the demolition after filing a $5 million ($10,300,000 in 2023 dollars) lawsuit in federal court against the city for losses incurred during the previous four years.

In August 1996, the local news media reported that the city was seeking to expand the Chinatown district along Superior Avenue to encompass the Tower Press Building.

Yuchai Machinery Corp., an engine manufacturer and real estate developer based in China, expressed interest in buying the structure.

[44] By 1999, the freeze-thaw cycle had taken such a toll on the Tower Press Building that architects worried it could not last more than two more years without extensive renovation and conservation.

[45] In October 1999, ArtSpace Projects, a Minneapolis-based developer of artist loft apartments, expressed its interest in the Tower Press Building.

[48] Brothers David and Doug Perkowski, co-owners of Charge Development, proposed remodeling the building into 89 loft apartments, with about 20 percent of these set aside for low-income individuals.

[52] The majority of financing came from National City Community Development Corp.[53] Tower Press Ltd. hired Fortney & Weygandt Inc., a general contractor located in North Olmsted, Ohio, to oversee the project.

Tower Press agreed to spend $233,000 ($400,000 in 2023 dollars) to rebuild the parking lot, and to set aside 113 of the 230 spaces for use by the Cleveland Division of Police.

Local 310 of the Laborers' International Union of North America, threatened to picket the project if work resumed, and filed a lawsuit against the city claiming the loan and grant had been made unlawfully.

[55] When work resumed in August, Local 310, the Cleveland chapter of the AFL–CIO, and Jobs with Justice (a union advocacy group) began picketing.

Tower Press Ltd. won a temporary restraining order barring picketing on September 10,[57] although this was lifted five days later when union officials agreed to enforce peaceful behavior among their members.

[59] The first major retail tenant was Artefino, a coffeehouse and art gallery owned by noted Cleveland artist Hector Vega.

[60] In February 2007, the improvisational comedy group Something Dada announced its performance space was moving to the Wooltex Room in the Tower Press Building.

[64] City and development officials had hoped that the Tower Press Building renovation would spark a redevelopment renaissance in the Campus District of Cleveland.

[10] Much of the building's historic elements were retained, including all existing exterior and interior brick, columns, decorative tiles, lintels, mullions, and sills.

[12] The interior of the renovated building features exposed brick walls and post-and-beam construction, open ceilings, and visible ductwork.