Built in the 1850s shortly after the opening of the I & M Canal, the Norton Building contained a grain warehouse, a grocery for farmers and citizens of Lockport, a canal supplies store for boat crews, and a crew dormitory. During the 50-year heyday of the I & M Canal, Hiram Norton and Company helped establish Lockport as an important grain processing center and became the town's major employer. A footbridge once crossed the canal at this point, and the small stone building standing to the left was formerly a grain weigh station. The waters of the I & M Canal originally came up to the edge of the Norton Building, as shown by the large rings on the wall used to tie up canal boats. Although the canal has since been filled and narrowed, an existing section of the stone facing can still be seen on the opposite side.
