Following these trends while also retaining some traditions such as the use of high-quality materials and minimal Classical detailing, Gumerson eschewed the ornate architecture of the past and designed an unadorned yet dignified building.

When the federal judges indicated that they were resolving many cases through efficient pretrial conferences rather than long trials, Gumerson included special rooms resembling libraries that were less intimidating than courtrooms for informal meetings.

The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was also part of this complex until the April 1995 truck bomb explosion that killed 168 people.

Architect Dow Gumerson paid special attention to the scale and details of the nearby 1912 U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, sensitively designing a building that does not overshadow neighboring architecture.

The building is an example of Formalism, a style of Modern architecture that emphasizes high-quality materials, smooth wall surfaces, and columnar supports.

It also retains characteristics of the earlier distinguished Stripped Classical style that architects used for federal buildings during the Great Depression era.

The facade is dominated by a colonnade, a design feature Gumerson borrowed from the earlier U.S. Post Office and Courthouse to unify the collection of buildings within Oklahoma City's federal complex.

The main entrance is recessed and flanked by diagonally positioned limestone panels that form a sawtooth, accordion-like pattern, creating texture and the illusion of movement.

Destiny, completed the following year, is located on the west elevation and depicts a male and a female, with the woman's outstretched hand extending through a flame.

Designed for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, the original fifth-floor courtroom contains a unique circular lightwell, which is located directly over the judge's bench and surrounded by linear source lights.

Black and white marble panels, which have a faint greenish cast, clad the walls of the elevator lobbies and public corridors on each floor.