The original building at this site, a cast iron front structure, was built between 1857 and 1869. Early tenants of the building, owned by French-born merchant and Houston civic leader Eugene Pillot (1820-1896), included attorneys, real estate brokers, and a dry goods merchant. Subsequently a hotel, a barbershop, restaurants, and bars occupied the building. Owned by Pillot heirs until 1944, the structure suffered severe damage in the 1980s and collapsed in 1988. A replica, incorporating some of the original cast iron columns, sills, and lintels, was completed in 1990.