Designed by architects Richard Norman Shaw and J. Francis Doyle, it was built for the Ismay, Imrie and Company shipping company, which later became the White Star Line. After White Star merged with Royal Mail Line the headquarters remained at Albion House until 1934 at which time the British Government forced the merger of Cunard Line and White Star Line. The building is situated on the corner of The Strand and James Street. The facade is constructed from white Portland stone and red brick. In 1912, when news of the disaster of the "Titanic" reached the offices, the officials were too afraid to leave the building, and instead read the names of the deceased from the balcony. During World War II, the gable was damaged and was later rebuilt in the late 1940s.