The block, situated between the streets of St. Francis, Royal, Water, and St. Michael, was a center for many of Mobile's brokerage firms prior to the American Civil War.

The building was seized by the Confederate government during the war from a suspected Union collaborator.

[2] It was enlarged and remodeled in the 1870s, with the addition of a second floor and the application of a Beaux-Arts-influenced cast iron facade.

[1] It was demolished in 2003 to make way for a parking deck to serve the RSA Battle House Tower, located across the street.

The front facade of the building was then rebuilt and grafted onto the modern parking garage in 2006.