1867: The iconic sandstone building was built by Colonel James Pickands, a civil war veteran from Cleveland, Ohio. Pickands came to Marquette for the opportunity in mining/ore business in and opened Pickands & Co: Heavy Hardware, Mining & Railway Supplies.
1897: Duluth South Shore & Atlantic Railway (DSS&A) owned The Customs House and essentially used it to store papers.
1960: DSS&A folded into Soo Line, another CP subsidiary and by 1987 Soo Line sold to private investors. Those investors formed Wisconsin Central, who later sold the building to Canadian National.
1991: The building was purchased by the Baker family.
2019-2020: Part 1 of the Customs House development begins as the historical building in the heart of Downtown Marquette transforms into four thoughtfully designed, completely unique units.