J.C. Fox, one of Hailey's founders, had this building erected in 1920 after operating a general store three doors up the street for almost forty years. He served as mayor for two years and was vice-president of the Hailey National Bank. After owning the property for sixteen years, he replaced its frame building with the brick Fox Building, which was originally heated by water piped in from hot springs west of Hailey. The first floor housed the Senate Pool Hall, the First National Bank of Hailey, and a jewelry store, while the second floor contained the 10-room Hailey Hospital operated by J.C. Fox's son, Dr. Earl Wellman Fox, and it remained in use into the 1960s. Many townspeople were born under its skylight, which was replicated twice more during renovation in 1984. Born in 1887 and raised in Hailey, Doctor Fox studied at the Barnes Medical School at the University of St. Louis and did postgraduate study at the Mayo Clinic. He gave forty-one years of medical service to the community and often accepted chickens, pigs, cows, or garden produce from patients who could not pay cash. For long-distance calls in winter, he used a forerunner of the snowmobile powered by an airplane engine. After the building was condemned and the building to the south had been demolished, the Fox Building was restored in 1983 and combined with the newly constructed Brown building to the south. In 1993 the city obtained ownership of both buildings, which were dedicated to public service including city hall and the public library.