[2] According to the Statement of Significance in its application for appearance on the Register, the Oregon Commercial Company Building is "the best preserved, most dominant building remaining [in Huntington] that reflects the era of expansion associated with the economic impact of the railroad ... ".

In the early 1880s, two subsidiaries of the Union Pacific Railroad were working to complete a single line that would connect Portland, Oregon and Omaha, Nebraska.

Its upper floor was used as rental apartments, chiefly tenanted by railroad workers.

The name of both the company and the building changed to the Huntington Mercantile when the business was purchased in 1908 by Fred S. Bubb.

In 2002, Howell's Cafe and the Streamliner Lounge were re-opened as part of an overall plan to revitalize downtown Huntington.