The Roman Catholic Diocese of Detroit hired Detroit architects Donaldson & Meier in 1924 to design the Chancery, the archdiocesan offices, next to the church of St. Aloysius in the middle of the block between Grand River Avenue and State Street.

The resulting structure at 1234 Washington Boulevard is an eight-story, limestone sheathed eclectic structure of Romanesque-Italian Renaissance inspiration. The facade is composed of three, slightly-recessed central bays flanked by buttress-like end bays. The arcaded ferst and second stories of the central three bays are surmounted by four stories of vertically unified fenestration with paneled spandrels. The upper two floors are treated as gabled, arcaded, open loggia.

In addition to the diocesan offices, the structure contains living quarters for the clergy assigned to the parish church next door.