The first building on this site had two stories and a high false front, with two storefronts on the first floor and private rooms upstairs. Around the turn of the last century, businesses there included a toy store, a butcher shop, and a candy store. That building burned to the ground in late 1896 or early 1897 after a fire began in Crew's Drug Store and destroyed the entire block north of the alley. The present structure was built in 1897 with brick for protection against another fire. It contained three storefronts, and its first tenants were the Monrovia Post Office, Crew's Drug Store, and a meat market. In the 1930s, the façade was remodeled in the popular Art Deco style, and another extensive remodeling took place in the 1960s. Over the years, the second floor has been used for private rooms, professional offices, clubrooms, and the Monrovia Elks Lodge.