This Freight House was built by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (The Milwaukee Road) in 1917 in response to the increased freight traffic in Davenport before the country entered World War I.

Railroad freight factored in the development of the city's wholesale and retail commercial economy from the 1890s onward.

[3] The building is rectangular in shape and built of brick with concrete floors and columns.

The west end held the warehouse storage space in a single story.

[4] The facility was located between the rail siding and thoroughfare where cargo could be easily transferred from one transportation system to another.