Construction of the building lasted for 22 months and the concrete was supplied by then-political boss Tom Pendergast.

The entrance interior has elaborate marble stairways and bronze architectural features honoring the history of Kansas City.

At the top of the six story base on the exterior of the building, windows are replaced with a frieze of relief sculptures depicting the early settlement and growth of the Kansas City area.

Sculptures on the exterior of the building include those by C. Paul Jennewein, Ulric Ellerhusen, and Walker Hancock.

[5] Images in the panels of the building include Senator Thomas Hart Benton, Benoist Troost, Lewis and Clark, the Chouteau trading post, the Santa Fe Trail, and others To the south of the building are fountains with two ornamental sea horses, dolphins, and seashells.