The western half of the building is the oldest section of the structure that began in the 1850s as a brick church.

It was remodeled into a 4-story building sometime between 1866 and 1881 by the Woeber Brothers for their carriage production facility and showroom.

Petersen was prominent in wholesale and retail goods in the city and his buildings housed his various interests.

In 1904, Gustav Hansen designed the first phase of Petersen’s Central Office Building for $24,000.

The building was constructed with retail businesses housed on the street level and office space above.

The cornice and the grotesques on the capitals are all Victorian while the expression of the structure in the façade reflects the Commercial.