Built in 1983 by Rose Associates, it is Boston's 11th-tallest building, standing 590 feet (180 meters) tall, and housing 46 floors.

The remaining stories are offices, home to a number of law firms, Certified Public Accountants, and financial services companies.

The building is located on a historic 1.23-acre (5,000 m2) triangular piece of land next to South Station and the Federal Reserve Bank Building, joining the Fort Point Channel area with Boston's Financial District.

During the Big Dig (a project to create a new underground highway under the center of Boston), extra care was needed to avoid subsidence of the soil under the building, as construction was underway just 25 ft (7.6 m) from the building's foundation.

Including its radio masts, One Financial Center is the 4th-tallest building in Boston (when measuring by pinnacle height), rising 683 feet (208 meters).