SM North EDSA was built on 40 acres (16 ha) of marshland in a relatively remote location[3] amidst a political crisis that saw interest rates rise as high as 45 percent.

[5][6] The lot was also owned by the Government Service Insurance System and was intended to host houses for public school teachers.

[4] As more tenants and entertainment venues were added, SM North EDSA then came to be known as the mall that institutionalized the "one-stop" shopping concept in the Philippines.

[citation needed] Over the years, SM North EDSA had seen many expansions and redevelopments, including the construction of Annex 3, which opened in 2006.

On July 28, 2006, Annex 3, also known as The Block, was opened featuring a hypermarket, its flagship toy store, additional four movie theaters, retail shops, and restaurants.

For two years (2014-2016), SM North EDSA was the largest solar-powered shopping mall in Southeast Asia after installing 5,760 solar panels until that record was surpassed in May 2016 by the Robinsons Starmills in San Fernando, Pampanga.

[8] Since its inception in 1985, and the construction of the original Car Park Plaza in February 1988 and the second Annex Building in July 1989, SM North EDSA Complex's current edifice within the complex are composed of the City Center, Interior Zone (including the Car Park Plaza), The Annex, The Block, The Sky Garden, The Northlink, and The North Towers.

It is also the hub of leisure anchors such as SM Food court, an entertainment center, and a newly modernized cineplex that incorporated the country's second IMAX Theater.

The main dining establishments of the City Center are situated on the second level where they break through the frontage in a sequence of linear casements which overlook the Sky Garden.

By January 2022 until April 2022, the IMAX temporarily operated as LSF or "Large Screen Format" with films shown in non-IMAX DMR releases, following the ongoing negotiation.

In the early 2000s, the open-parking area right beside it was built and made into its horizontal expansion to accommodate more vehicles and to integrate the newly constructed The Block.

Today, the former Car Park and Cyberzone have been transformed into a "lifestyle center" named the Interior Zone which opened on November 16, 2009 and planned by Architects EAT from Australia.

The plant can generate up to 1.5 megawatts of power, which made SM North EDSA the world's largest solar-powered shopping mall from 2014 to 2016, when it was overtaken by Robinsons Starmills in San Fernando, Pampanga.

The lower ground floor (or basement) also served as the former administration office of SM North EDSA along with a few beauty clinics and a junior anchor, Hardware Workshop.

The Block contained most of the high-end anchor stores owned or operated by SM which includes but is not limited to H&M, Uniqlo, Forever 21, and Vikings.

[18] Several bridge connections integrated The Block to the existing mall, carpark areas, Sky Garden and the North Towers.

The Sky Garden's water features include two bubblers, a simulated river flowing at the central part of the park, and waterfalls at the end of the second floor which can also be used as a screen where promotional materials can be projected.

[23][24][25] The ground floor of the structure is used for vehicle parking and also serves a transport terminal for UV Express, jeepneys, and city buses.

The building is linked via Bridgeway to the SM North EDSA Mall Complex as well as the future nearby common station.

The remaining leasable area mostly found on the ground and second levels feature a Save More supermarket and other support retail and commercial establishments.

[28] There was a warehouse building situated on a two-hectare (4.9-acre) lot within the SM North EDSA Complex that housed the former Super Sale Club.

Part of the building was converted into a parking lot for valet service until its subsequent demolition to give way for the North Towers.