The Commercial National Bank, designed by Waddy B. Wood in 1917, is an 11 story office building at the north west corner of the intersection of 14th and G Streets, N.W. The principal facades are limestone over steel frame construction. The building displays a particularly austere neo-classicism. The traditional tripartite exterior organization of base-shaft-crown is retained and simplified. The building, which is detailed on both street facades, relies primarily on the Greek Doric order as precedent for its ornament. The three-story base is composed of pilasters with Ionic capitals supporting a simple entablature at the third floor level. This motif, which occupies only the central portion of each facade, reads as a flattened, simplified portico. The height and detailing of the base reflects the height of the original banking room (now infilled and subdivided). Spandrel panels embellished with decorative motifs loosely based on Greek precedent extend between the pilasters at the location of earlier mezzanines; the three central bays along 14th Street at the location of the banking room have encircled monograms at this level. The glazing on each of the windows is framed by a Doric grille. Roundels with bas relief decorate the frieze of this entablature. The shaft bears no detail and consists of window openings punched into the facade in a uniform manner. The uppermost floor and projecting cornice form the crown of the building. Composed of triglyphs and metopes, the upper floor constitutes the frieze. Metal grilles inspired by Hellenic vase decoration embellish the metopes. (It is not known whether windows were placed behind these grilles or whether the top floor was lit entirely by the large lantern, not visible from the street, above the roof level.) The cornice features lion heads alternated with palmette antefixae. There are four entrances to the original building. The two entrances on G Street are placed at either end of the facade, outside the portico motif, and framed by a simple architrave molding. The entrance at the east provided access to the banking room and bank facilities located in the basement. The entrance at the west opened into the elevator lobby for the upper, office floors. On the 14th Street facade, entrances were incorporated within the bays of the flattened portico. The entrance to Western Union was at the north end; the main entrance to the banking room was housed within the central bay.
The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.