Financed by Adolphus Busch and designed by the St. Louis architects he used for the Adolphus Hotel (DS15) a year earlier, the 17-story, cream-colored terra-cotta-clad office building is a more unified design than the Adolphus. The strong vertical orientation of widely spaced pilasters complements the Gothic-styled ornament, a rich blend of English Perpendicular Gothic, Spanish, and Venetian features. The tower was renovated into 157 lofts and apartments.
The ornate classical terra-cotta facade of the two-story Iron Cactus, former Thompson Building (1915; 2004 reconstructed, Selzer Associates), opposite at 1520 Main, was expanded with a contemporary addition to the west to engage Pegasus Plaza, and the facade was reconstructed in all its original terra-cotta detail.