The top of the building bears a striking resemblance to the end of a Phillips head screwdriver and has a similar appearance to Two Liberty Place in Philadelphia, also designed by Jahn, which is a year older.

[6][7][8] The building is the maximum height permitted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for a structure in downtown San Diego due to its close proximity to San Diego International Airport.

[8][a] The America Plaza trolley station is located on the ground floor of the building between the main building and the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego's Downtown campus.

[9] The building's elevators are supplied by Mitsubishi Electric and travel at a little over 7 m/s (1400 fpm), making them the fastest in San Diego.

One America Plaza was purchased by the real estate development firm, Irvine Company, in February 2006 for US$300 million.