Charles H. Sproat, a prominent business person and leader of the fruit industry, financed construction of the Sproat Building in 1911 to house the E.A. Franz Furniture Company. When it was completed, its owners highlighted a buff-colored brick exterior, an interior elevator, an expansive mezzanine level, and an interior archway connecting the store to Franz Hardware. W.C. McClain organized and managed Franz Furniture Company until 1939, when he opened the McClain Furniture store in downtown Hood River.