The original construction on the building was completed in 1891. The building was built by George K. McMullen, founder of the McMullen Machinery Company. The company distributed complete lines of woodworking and metalworking machinery. Professional offices were located on the top floors and warehousing on the lower 4 floors. 

The 6-story commercial structure has housed various businesses over the years. In 1949, the first floor level was converted to retail use. Zondervan Bookstore, a major christian book publisher and retailer,was located in the building in the 1950s - 1970s. In 1999, a major restoration of the building was undertaken by architects DeWinter & Richard Craig, and contracted by Visser Brothers Construction. The renovation was a significant over $3 million dollar investment. Federal Historic Tax Credits were used to help finance the project to completion, transforming it for modern office use. 

In the early 2000s, the building served as headquarters for Cyber Net, an internet startup company that turned into a $100 million fraud case, one of the largest white-collar crimes in West Michigan. Investigators showed how the company founder Barton Watson bilked lenders out of millions of dollars in a Ponzi scheme set up to look like a fast-growing tech company. In the aftermath it included suicide, prison sentences, and lost jobs. The building has endured 137 years of history as a Grand Rapids landmark.