The performance of passively-controlled building depends not only on damper but also on frame members and connections. Frame members are subjected to bending moment and shear force caused by the story drift and relatively large axial force caused by the damper force. The axial force can cause earlier yielding and possibly local buckling in the elements, but very limited studies are available on this problem. In addition, because the detailing method of the connection elements such as a gusset plate and stiffeners has not been established, there are a variety of designs including many that are irrational and inadequate. This paper intends to develop a design and analysis method to alleviate such problems. Full-scale test method is developed as an efficient approach and tests are conducted on 10 subassemblies consisting of beam, column, and gusset plate, and the results are analyzed and discussed.