[3] The original Battery Street building, two blocks from the current site, was a three-story brick structure built in 1855 to house the Merchants Exchange, an association of city traders and businessmen.

The skyscraper was designed by architects Daniel Burnham and Willis Polk in Beaux-Arts, and features a modern steel-frame skeleton and a facade of Tennessee granite and brick sheathing.

The City believed a quick repair would help create a sense of hope and security for many San Franciscans, and this was accomplished by Polk, with the help of nascent architect Julia Morgan.

[6] The Merchants Exchange's fifteenth floor was home to the Commercial Club, a chamber for the city's politicians and socialites to powwow and address issues.

After the 1906 earthquake, Mayor James Rolph carried out meetings here to plan for the 1915 Pan-Pacific Exposition, as well as fundraisers to finance it.