Peterson is not an attractive street. It basically functions as an urban speedway, with four lanes and enormous intersections. If you're on Peterson, you're probably in a car. These buildings are designed to catch the eye of someone moving by quickly. The three office buildings on top use a combination of textured materials, patterns, and colors to spark interest, while the façades are designed to create a sense of enclosure and protection from the nearby speedway.
But they still follow an earlier pattern of commercial design: close to the street, with parking in the back. Later development would often put the parking lot front and center, which solved some of the proximity problems, but created an uncomfortable, auto-dominated environment.
In contrast, the building on the bottom (a former furniture showroom) uses its enormous windows to create an immediate visual connection between the interior and exterior. An undulating concrete canopy above the second floor adds interest and maybe even a little shade. Sadly, the old sign framed with roman columns is long gone. I had to use an old Google Street View image to get its details.
All of these buildings, constructed in the 1960s, hold a significant place in the history of Peterson Avenue. The third one down has already been demolished, but I hope that's not a sign of things to come.