It is 562 feet (171 m) tall and with the Mies designed post office and plaza stands on the site previously occupied by the Chicago Federal Building by the architect Henry Ives Cobb.

[1] This is one of three buildings by van der Rohe in the Federal Center Plaza complex: the others are the Loop Station Post Office and the Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse.

The entire complex is based on a 28 ft (8.5 m) grid pattern so that seams of the granite pavers in the plaza extend into the building lobbies and up the sides to create unity among the three structures.

[3] In 2009, GSA undertook a major project to improve energy efficiency which included solar film on windows, LED lighting, upgraded HVAC and other mechanical systems.

[5] Following his election as president on November 4, 2008, Barack Obama established his administration's transitional offices in the federal building, prompting heightened security measures in the surrounding area.