The four-story building was designed by Louis Sullivan and commissioned by John Delbert Van Allen (October 5, 1850 – December 30, 1928).

In order to avoid anonymity amongst other buildings, the structure features ornamentation with a strong sense of Sullivan's signature natural design motifs.

The clean and simple lines and earth tones were intended to complement three unique ornamental terra cotta mullions.

While at first glance, the mullions appear to be little more than creative personal flourish on the part of Sullivan, careful study of the building's structure reveals the genius behind the design.

Sullivan used the ornamental mullions to visually correct imbalances in the building's proportions which were the result of designing the interior spaces first.

On March 20, 1911, Mr. Sullivan wrote Mr. Van Allen stating, "I shall take pleasure in handling your work, and will be pleased to see you at any time, as I am now building a church as well as a bank in Cedar Rapids, Iowa."