The project developer was Tishman Speyer, a US firm that previously built the Sony Center in Berlin and the Messeturm in Frankfurt.

When the initially proposed building was felt to be rather bulky, Zürich Versicherung suggested to the local government to build the new tower up to a height of 160 m (520 ft) and to compensate for the added height by making available company-owned land to extend the adjacent Rothschildpark down to Bockenheimer Landstrasse.

The completion of Opernturm in late 2009 added another landmark to the city's much photographed skyline, with its elegant silhouette and the natural stone façade setting it apart from the glass towers dominating the cityscape.

The building's anchor tenant, occupying 31,000 m2 (330,000 sq ft), is the European headquarters offices of the UBS Group AG.

[4] Leading multinational legal services Allen & Overy, Ashurst, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius and Reed Smith LLP and the world's largest asset manager BlackRock are occupying several floors of the tower.