The distinctive nine-story international-style building was originally commissioned by Rohm and Haas as its headquarters and completed in 1964 by the then-famous Italian architect, Pietro Belluschi, once a dean of architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Its location adjacent Independence Mall was a part of the revitalization of that area at the time.

The concern was that, rather than invest in renovation, the company would take advantage of competing rent rates in any of the large blocks of contiguous office space available in Center City and also see this as an opportune time to market the building for residential conversion. The decision follows more than a year of evaluating alternatives.

The locally based Hillier architectural firm has been selected to handle the renovations, which will include a street-level cafeteria that will extend to the building's outdoor courtyard in summer. The building has a significant setback and an accessible walkway and interior courtyard that now contains a sculpture by Louise Nevelson. According to the Rohm and Haas spokesperson, the renovation will begin this April and reach completion before year-end 2008.