| Completed in 1904, the Crane building was built as a warehouse for the Crane and Ordway Company at a cost of $60,000. It is now part of St. Paul's Lowertown Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Crane and Ordway Company was established in 1893 by Lucius P. Ordway of St. Paul and R.T. Crane of Chicago. By 1897, the Crane Company was the largest manufacturer of pipes, valves, and steam supplies in the world and employed over 3,000 people at its Chicago plant. (Lucius Ordway also served as president of Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing four years after its founding, helped found the White Bear Lake Yacht Club, and was instrumental in the building of the St. Paul Hotel.)
The Crane building was designed by Reed & Stem, the St. Paul architecture firm that designed Grand Central Station in New York and the St. Paul hotel in downtown St. Paul.
In addition to the Crane building, the Lowertown neighborhood is home to many historic buildings, such as the Depot Place (formerly the hub for railway freight) and the First Trust Center, once the largest building in the Twin Cities.
The Crane building remained in use as a warehouse for several decades. A 1910 City of St. Paul map shows the building as Crane & Ordway Company (wholesale plumbers, mills, wells, etc.). In 1926, it is listed as William McMurry & Company. In 1956 and 1969, it's listed as the Finished Products Warehouse.
When Aeon announced its proposal to reuse the building as affordable housing in 2003, it had been vacant for 30 years.
The Lowertown neighborhood has become a thriving warehouse and artistic district. Many of its historic buildings now house art galleries, restaurants, and condominiums. | 
