In place of Thomson's usual stylings, the building is decorated with straight lines, which is odd given the curvature of the building. Thomson also made every entrance protruding, something he usually did only at the ends of the building as a sort of bookend.

It was built as an entirely new street for insurance agent John Hood and was originally home to a number of the city’s merchants after its completion in 1862. The design has been spoiled somewhat by the addition of the single-storey shops on Paisley Road West, built upon the crescent’s garden.