It is a signature, Grade-I-listed, building for the red-brick-and-terracota Victorian style prevalent in the late 19th century in Birmingham, which lacked natural stone and battled sooting problems due to air pollution. It is also a symbol of modernisation of Birmingham, as it was built to house the Central Telephone Exchange for Birmingham, and the logos of the Bell-Edison company are still visible within the building. As the telephone exchange relocated many decades ago, the building now houses office and a bar.