Crowell was the main organizer, along with fellow pioneer settlers Tenney Peabody, Issachor Frost and D. L. Bacon, of the Albion Company - a firm which laid the plat for the town in 1836.
In 1838, he donated 60 acres (240,000 m2) of land and an additional 3 block for the Wesleyan Female Seminary, which later became Albion College.
In its first years, Crowell served on the school's board of directors and contributed liberally to the institution.
In 1917 this building was converted for use as a bank, removing the upper story, and applying a neoclassical front on the Superior St facade.
The family of Albion State Bank president David A. Garfield were the final residents of the house.