The Milarkey Building at 203 South Main Street, measuring 26 feet by 100 feet, was erected in 1883-84 by Thomas Milarkey in the Late Simple Expression Italianate style, a style typical of many brick commercial buildings constructed in Pendleton from 1885 to 1900. It served the developing community as a drug store for 96 years. Thomas Milarkey was a pioneer freighter merchant and builder of many early buildings in the downtown commercial district. The original storefront, brick detailing, high ceilings, and arched windows reflect the graceful and elegant, if simple, lifestyle enjoyed by the early founders of this agricultural, timber, and mining service center for Eastern Oregon during the late 1800's. The Umatilla County Courthouse originally faced the building across the street and once had ten chimneys but now has only one. Elmer Kerns purchased the building on September 1, 1981, from the estate of Elizabeth Murphy, who had been a Milarkey, and it was then historically preserved according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation guidelines. As of 1991, the building housed an insurance agency, a real estate firm, and the office of Carter Kerns.