[1][8][9] The building originally housed the Queens Chamber of Commerce and Long Island City Savings Bank, then served as regional offices for Consolidated Edison beginning in 1920.

[24] Under Pan American Airways, the ninth floor was used as a ballroom and meeting space called the "Skyline Room" or "Skytop Roof".

[27] In the past, a bank branch was located at the southeast corner of the building, utilizing the ground floor and basement.

The historic Chase Manhattan Bank Building is located two blocks to the east, adjacent to the modern Sven apartment tower.

Dutch Kills Green park is located in front of the Chase Manhattan Bank Building in the median of Queens Plaza.

Newcomers High School and the Academy of American Studies are located one block north at 41st Avenue.

The underground Queens Plaza station is located two blocks east at Northern Boulevard and Jackson Avenue.

[1][35][38]: 87−88 [39] The 1,152-foot (351 m)-long plaza featured service roads on the north and south side leading into the bridge, with a wide landscaped park in the center.

[1][38]: 87–88 [39] The opening of the bridge and the LIRR East River Tunnels into Manhattan immediately catalyzed activity and development in Long Island City.

[3][44][45][46] That same month, the Long Island City Savings Bank relocated into the building from their original offices at 21 Jackson Avenue in Hunters Point, anticipating more business at the Bridge Plaza.

[49][50] In 1914 under Police Commissioner Arthur H. Woods, the NYPD established a headquarters for the detectives force of Queens in the building, including office space and a dormitory.

[58] The space would be occupied by the New York and Queens Electric Light and Power Company, a predecessor to and later subsidiary of Consolidated Edison,[59][60] who planned to construct a fifth floor atop the building.

[24][66] As part of the project, the Army's New York Port of Embarkation took over the Electric Building, and renovated it for use as barracks for the 2,000-to-4,000 soldiers working at the post office.

[1][70][71][72] This was in addition to the company's main headquarters in the Chrysler Building in Manhattan,[73] and a Central Receiving Depot on Van Dam Street near Sunnyside.

[25] On October 21, 1948, Pan Am debuted an automatic communications network developed by AT&T Long Lines, to improve ticket transactions between multiple airports.

[77] In 1952, Pan American announced a project to create a seven-story addition to the back of the building, adding 50,000 square feet (4,600 m2) of space and an interior parking garage.

The Board of Education divisions relocated from 42-15 Crescent Street on the south side of Queens Plaza, taking up the second through sixth floors in the building.

The Traffic Department, relocating from 100 Gold Street in Lower Manhattan, would occupy the seventh and eighth floors.

[81][82][83][84] In September 1964, the New York City Board of Estimate approved a ten-year lease of space in the Pan Am Building for both agencies.