Featuring an unusual Venetian Gothic Revival architectural style inspired by the Doge's Palace in Venice, the building is one of the city's most recognizable landmarks and has been described as "unique in the country".

The building's early tenants included a number of other insurance agencies in addition to Occidental Life, as well as savings and loan companies, realtors, and an engineering firm.

The fire occurred just hours after the burning of another Albuquerque landmark, the Fourth Ward School (replaced the following year by Lew Wallace Elementary), leading police and local residents to suspect arson.

In keeping with the building's Venetian influence, Brittelle decided to redesign the roofline to more closely resemble the Doge's Palace, with an ornamental frieze and finials in place of the original overhanging cornice.

[3] The Occidental Life Building features a Venetian Gothic Revival architectural style which is highly unusual for New Mexico,[5] and has been described by the Albuquerque Landmarks and Urban Conservation Commission as "unique in the country."

The facade was modeled after that of the Doge's Palace in Venice, with arcades of pointed Venetian Gothic arches, quatrefoil windows, and, following the 1934 rebuilding, an ornamental frieze with a row of finials.