The grand, Beaux-Arts style structure was designed by G. Howard Chamberlin and built in 1904 using a unique all-concrete construction making it the first fireproof office building in Westchester County.

For years, the enormous grand ballroom within, with its 30-foot (9.1 m) ceilings and extensive gold leaf decor, was a fixture of the social scene in Yonkers, playing host to all manner of meetings, parties and theatrical productions including speeches by Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt (resulting in its being named "The Roosevelt Ballroom" by Encore Caterers.

In the 1990s, the building benefited from a renewed interest in local development, and was heavily renovated and restored.

[2] The building was restored and renamed the Philipsburgh Performing Arts Center (PPAC, pronounced "P-pack" locally) in 2001.

The building's primary occupant is a South Asian restaurant called "Nawab" and its owners are also the caterers for events at the Ballroom.