The Scimitar Building is a five-story stoned-veneer structure on a raised basement, designed in a combination of Beaux-Arts and Romanesque revival styles.

[1] The lobby is lined with original Tennessee marble, and is encircled by large circular, arched windows.

[1] The Scimitar Building was commissioned by Napoleon Hill (1830–1909) in 1902 and designed by local architects August A. Chigazola (1869-1911) and William J. Hanker (1876–1958).

[1] Hill lived across Madison Avenue in a mansion which stood on the site of the present Sterick Building.

[1] People on the street could view the press machinery in operation through the building's giant windows.