The importance of the riverfront to Wilkes-Barre's early economy made the two blocks of W. Market Street the commercial and banking hub. When the new streetcar system shifted retail activity to Public Square and S. Main Street, the banks remained. The various Beaux-Arts office buildings constructed by Wilkes-Barre's bankers at the intersection of W. Market and S. Franklin streets irrevocably altered the scale of the Victorian city. McCormick and French enjoyed a lucrative career designing Beaux-Arts buildings in and around Wilkes-Barre, including this tripartite office tower as well as the competing Wyoming National Bank across the street.