Vaile was born in Vermont in 1831; he graduated in law from the University of Louisville and moved to Kansas City, Missouri in 1859,[1] before finally settling in Independence in 1870.

[1] Vaile was a prominent figure in Independence business and social circles, and "desired a magnificent residence as an outward expression of his wealth.

[1][3] In February 1883, while he was in Washington, D.C., his wife Sophia, who had been diagnosed with stomach cancer,[1] was found dead at home from a morphine overdose, in what was a case of suspected suicide.

[4] Vaile occupied the mansion until his death in 1894; immediately thereafter, his heirs contested ownership of the estate in a legal battle that lasted five years.

[3][5] The symmetrical structure consists of a two-and-a-half-story block surmounted by a three-story central tower; constructed of hand-pressed red brick[10] (purchased at a cost of $50,000),[3] it features an elaborate one-story porch, limestone moldings, heavy bracketed cornices, dormered mansard roofs, and multicolor slate shingles.