In 1953 the New York architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill designed the building of the former American Consulate General in Düsseldorf. The late modern skeleton building consists of a four-storey office block and a low building leading into the garden.

When Ingenhoven, Overdiek, Kahlen und Partner moved into the building in 1992, there had not yet been any changes to the building's substance. The architects identified themselves with the architecture of the purist building and then planned its renovation, conversion and extension. In doing so, they attached great importance to a careful restoration that preserves as much of the original substance as possible.

The extreme heating and sound immissions of the existing building were reduced during the renovation without destroying the filigree image of the historic façade. For this purpose, the single glazing was supplemented by a second, inner glass layer of sliding windows. The new building picks up the proportions of the old building and demarcates the site from Emmericher Straße. The low-rise building now becomes a connecting element, housing the library and meeting rooms.