[1] Edwin S. George was an important businessman in Detroit at the turn of the 20th century.

[2] He first came to Detroit in 1890 and worked as a furrier, opening his own wholesale and retail fur company in 1897.

He became involved in Detroit's automobile industry and was an important developer of the stretch of Woodward between Grand Circus Park and Warren Avenue.

In 1908, George hired architect Albert Kahn to design a two-story building which would include rental space for auto parts suppliers and manufacturers.

George owned the building until 1942, when he sold it to a real estate investment firm.