A rare surviving example of the rough-hewn grandeur of Romanesque Revival stone commercial buildings that once stood in many North Carolina towns. Local historian James Shober Brawley’s Salisbury Renaissance: Historical Photographs of Salisbury North Carolina 1880-1960 (1981) states that it was designed by Charlotte architect C. C. Hook for political leader Lee S. Overman. It is likely the “Business Building” planned by Hook for Overman reported in the Manufacturers’ Record of August 11, 1899. The Statesville Carolina Mascot of September 11, 1899 noted that Lazenby Brothers had the contract to erect “a handsome brick building” for Overman in Salisbury, which would be occupied by the post office. The nearby Bell Building is similar.