This building was constructed in 1937 by the Oregon & Washington Railway, a subsidiary of the Northern Pacific Railroad. The company built numerous warehouse facilities in the area and leased them to tenants seeking to take advantage of the rail, road and maritime transportation connections for the distribution of goods. The primary tenant was the H. J. Heinz Company, a food products manufacturer. A larger warehouse addition was added to the south in 1946. Loading docks in the rear, which once served to provide access for loading directly onto railcars, is no longer used. The building is currently in use by Sound Produce as a transfer warehouse and all shipping of produce is done by trucks.
The warehouse, located in the former tidelands area, is associated with the development of the area as a transportation-related manufacturing and warehouse district. The tidelands were filled through a series of successive grading and fill projects between 1895 and 1929, creating developable land that made the expansion of railroad and port facilities possible and fostering the development of the area for commercial use that supported significant economic progress of the city in the early 20th century. Between 1906 and 1914, the Milwaukee, Great Northern, Union Pacific, and Northern Pacific, all national concerns, developed extensive rail yards and support facilities on the reclaimed tideflats. The historic Oregon and Washington Station (now Union Station, 1911), King Street Station (1906), and the railroad tunnel below downtown were also built during this time.
