The two sections of the Hearst Tower are a combined tall, with forty-six stories above ground. The base occupies nearly the whole lot and originally contained floors arranged in a "U" shape, flanking a courtyard to the west. Along much of the base, the third through sixth stories are slightly set back from the lowest two floors. The original building's roof was above ground. The tower stories are more deeply set back from the lowest six floors on the north, east, and south sides. The tower contains a smaller footprint of , the longer dimension extending from east to west. The setbacks above the sixth floor contain a skylight wide.