In 1755, the first store in Frenchtown, then known as Alexandriaville, stood here. In 1869, this building and the house to the left were built in the Italianate style for the merchant Oliver Worman. After Worman failed, Hugh Warford bought the property in 1877 and sold it that same year to George and Danial Britton, who operated the largest and best stocked department store in Hunterdon County here. In 1931, Wilmont Milbury opened the Gem Theater in the rear wooden wing, with moviegoers entering through a lobby in the small brick extension to the left. The theater wing was rebuilt in the early 1980's to house apartments and retail stores.