William C. McElroy (?–1869) and his spouse Harriet Shober (1816–1899) bought the lot on Gough Street in 1859. McElroy was a wood miller by trade and he built the house between 1860 and 1861, across the street from its present location. Originally the house was designed with two floors, with four rooms on each floor, and with a winding staircase in the middle of the building. The McElroy family lived in the house until around the 1880s, when the house became a rental property. Daniel O’Connell, a co-founder of the Bohemian Club, was one of the rental tenants. In April 1906, the house was badly damaged during the 1906 Earthquake. By 1909, the house was no longer owned by the McElroy family and it changed ownership many times.