This two-story building, the second permanent business building in town, was built at the direction of Paul Shoup, often referred to as the "Father of Los Altos." The foresight of Shoup and his associates led to the concept of the town of Los Altos. Its first floor housed the town's first grocery store, believed to have opened by January 1910, owned and operated by A.S. Robinson, husband of Faith Shoup and brother-in-law of Paul and Guy Shoup, before it was later sold to another grocer, Mr. McDuffy. The upstairs, sometimes called "Shoup Hall," was the only public meeting place available in early Los Altos. Before 1911, when the first grammar school opened, one teacher conducted all eight grades in this building. Scouts and church groups used Shoup Hall as a regular meeting place, and public use of the facility ended after 1922, when Scout Hall opened. Although the front has been altered slightly, with doors that were originally set at an angle facing the corner, the structure remains essentially the same as when it was built.