[4] An adaption of an earlier statue that had topped both Madison Square Garden in New York and the Agriculture Building at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago was made for the building by the same creators, W. H. Mullins Manufacturing Company of Salem, Ohio and was sculpted by Augustus Saint-Gaudens.

Completed in 1908, the eight-story building was painted white and capped with a flat roof, with an interior that contained miles of chutes, conveyors, and storage lofts within ceiling heights ranging from 12 to 17 feet (5.2 m).

At one time the building had its own post office branch and a ground-floor shipping platform that could accommodate 24 railroad freight cars.

The project met the National Historic Landmark criteria for preservation, with the exception of balconies added to the administration building.

The Mail Order House building is now home to restaurants,[9] the Big Ten Network,[10] Wrigley, Echo Global Logistics, David Barton Gym,[11] Allyu Spa, Groupon,[12] Kingsbury Yacht Club boat slips, InnerWorkings, Uptake, Dyson Inc., and 298 luxury condominiums.