[3]: 14  Mechanicsburg's first two buildings were log structures used for commercial purposes: a small store and the village's first tavern respectively, they were both constructed on what is now the southern corner of Sandusky and Main Streets on the public square.

[3]: 17  All of its original neighbors have been destroyed; Lawler's is the sole commercial building remaining from the village's earliest years.

[4]: 114  Additionally, the tavern's prominent overhang with its large window, ornamented gable, and brackets was constructed at the end of the nineteenth century.

[6]: 7  Besides the facade's overall symmetrical design with multi-paned windows,[6]: 2  the building derives its Greek Revival appearance most clearly from the central entryway: surrounded by a transom and sidelights, the doorway is framed by pilasters on both sides.

It was part of a multiple property submission of approximately twenty buildings,[1] scattered throughout the village in such a low concentration that a historic district designation was not practical.