Designed by Robert C. Reamer with elements of the Art Deco and Moderne styles, the reinforced concrete building was representative of early 20th century architecture in Seattle.

The exterior of the office building had subtle details, including etched columns and aluminum grillwork on the windows, forgoing ornaments for a simpler design that emphasized its mass.

The newspaper had been founded in 1896 and moved from two previous offices and printing plants, each time relocating further and further north of the city's historic central business district.

By 1930, the newspaper's circulation averaged over 100,000 copies per day and the strain of its growth had caused the location to run out of office space and present logistical problems with printing and distribution, especially as Stewart Street, used by delivery trucks and nicknamed "Times Alley", had grown to become a major thoroughfare for automobile traffic.

[8] A groundbreaking ceremony was held by the newspaper's staff and the Metropolitan Building Company on September 26, 1929, both of whom expected the project to be completed the following year.

The $125,000 project was postponed during World War II because of a shortage in materials, resulting in cramped conditions as circulation had, during the building's 16-year history, doubled to more than 175,000 daily and 225,000 on Sundays.

[20][21] In 1950, the building was expanded to the north by 150,000 square feet (14,000 m2), housing a larger mailing room, a new newsroom, and offices for the Associated Press bureau and Sunday departments.

[31] The move prompted the Times to purchase additional land for future expansion, including the Troy Laundry Building to the north, for a total of 14 acres (5.7 ha) in the South Lake Union neighborhood.

[1][2] The move was prompted by a long-term proposal from The Seattle Times Company to redevelop their land in South Lake Union, at a cost of $150 million while preserving the historic character of the two buildings.

[38][39] The following year, the company began marketing the two remaining blocks they owned, including the Times Building and a parking lot to the south, asking for $80 million total.

[47] Since the site was sold to Onni in 2013, a series of incidents with squatters and vandals have drawn attention to security issues at the vacant building.

In October 2014, the city of Seattle began exploring legal action over Onni's failure to secure the site; KIRO-TV reported that at least 10 squatters occupied the building, whose first floor had been boarded up.

[48] On September 30, 2015, the Seattle Police Department cleared the building of squatters, an estimated 50 to 200 people, after unsuccessful attempts by Onni to secure the property.

[49][50] A series of fires in November 2015,[51] December 2015,[52] and July 2016 led to a proposal by the city to accelerate the demolition permitting process for the site.

The project, named 1120 John, was planned to include 935,951 square feet (86,952.7 m2) of office and retail space in two buildings that are 16 and 18 stories tall.