The design of the seven-floor building itself embodies the forces exerted during its creation. The Capital Center Commission envisioned a space that would invite visitors to enter the city and spend time and money there. The developer, Commonwealth Development Group, hoped to build a large profitable mall. Individual retailers strove to create spaces that would maximize sales per square foot. Additionally, individual residents and organizations like the Providence Preservation Society wanted to influence the aesthetics and practicalities of the design. Multiple architects worked on the designs and on individual stores. The struggles of these sometimes contradictory voices physically manifested themselves in the design of the mall.

Leslie A. Gardner, a banker, chaired the Capital Center Commission, which coordinated the interface of the developers, the perservationists, and the public during the design process. The Providence Preservation Society, where Gardner had been president, wanted to ensure that the building retain an urban character, and that the facade would be divided into harmonious sections that might imitate a city block.

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