This large commercial block on Thames Street in Newport was built before 1860 by Rufus B. Kinsley, a businessman who made his money in express companies (think express shipping) in the mid-19th century. He built this structure to rent out and diversify his income by around 1860. Early tenants included two banks: the Rhode Island Hospital Trust Company and the Aquidneck National Bank. The latter would remain here for years before building their own bank across the street.