One of the first German settlers in the area, August Groppe, Sr. (1840-1919) had this structure built in 1892, the year the town of West was incorporated. A prominent cotton farmer and businessman. Groppe hired local brickmasons and used bricks that were made near West to construct the first brick building in the town's business district. The late 19th-century structure has housed numerous businesses, including a dry goods store, grocery, and drugstore.