The Tevis Block is a two-story, U-shaped structure constructed of imported fire brick.

The rear of the building includes an enclosed elevator, added later, and a second-story, iron-railed walkway.

An additional one-story brick wing was added to the northwest corner of the building in later years.

[3] The building helped open up the Bakersfield downtown west of H Street and became a landmark upon construction.

It was one of only a handful of unreinforced masonry buildings to survive the 1952 Kern County earthquake, and was subsequently strengthened, renovated and restored to a close proximity of its original architecture.