The building was originally owned by the Christian Literature Society, a Society for the Diffusion of Christian and General Knowledge among the Chinese, which had been established by the Presbyterian missionaries from England in 1887 and changed its name to the Christian Literature Society in 1892 and became the largest publishing organization in China at that time. Like the Baptist Publication Society Building, LCLS is built in a U-form plan. The BPS Building is facing the east while the CLS Building is facing the west. However, the main façade of each building facing the street is recognizably different. The façade of CLS Building is decorated by acute-angled lines, rolled upon the parapets. The façade of the west entrance is covered with artificial stones. A huge pointed arch run through the walls from the second to the eighth floor attracting a lot of attention.. The perfect composition of the façade presents modern Art Deco style. In addition to having the same coating material of stone on the façade of the first floor, the twin buildings also have similar functions. Before 1949, CLS once accommodated several organizations such as the Christian Literature Society, Evangelical Radio Station, London Missionary Society, the Bankers' Cooperative Credit Service, National Bible Society of Scotland, Youth Association Publishing House, China Continuation of the National Missionary Conference etc, and some other film companies and a number of commercial firms. (The building has been listed as Heritage Architecture of Shanghai since 1994.)