The Rialto Building, originally constructed in 1887, was designed to house a variety of tenants, including physicians, dentists, and other professionals, as well as retail spaces and a barber shop. In December 1909, the original five-story Rialto Building was destroyed by fire and displaced many medical professionals whose practices were lost. Owner and Kansas City real estate icon Albert Marty prioritized building a new fireproof skyscraper to meet the increasing demand for commercial space near East Ninth Street and Grand Boulevard. Completed in 1911, the thirteen-story early steel-frame skyscraper featured Commercial-style architecture by renowned architects Smith, Rea, and Lovitt and was constructed by George L. Brown & Son. By embracing the latest design and technological advances, the building featured specialized office spaces for doctors and dentists, a formal elevator lobby, a bank room, and retail spaces on the ground floor.

Over the years, the Rialto maintained high occupancy by adapting to the evolving needs of its tenants. In 1939, the Sinclaire Refining Company relocated its headquarters to the Rialto. In 1967, the building underwent substantial modernization, focusing on interior updates while maintaining the historic facade. In 1968, the structure was re-christened the Ozark National Life Building after the insurance company moved its offices to the top floors. The building continued to evolve through several more ownerships and renovations, including a $600,000 restoration in 1984 and extensive modernization in 1994. Acquired by the current ownership in 2020, the building’s transformation into a hotel preserves its architectural legacy while revitalizing it for contemporary use.

During the early part of the 1900s, rotogravure photo printing became a main part of newspaper printing in the US and Europe. To keep up with the times, many newspapers had third party companies print photo pages as additions to their newspapers. As demand increased, larger papers began to purchase their own equipment to make the rotogravure printing in-house. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch became one of a handful of papers to add this feature. When demand continued to increase, the Post-Dispatch looked to expand their operations with easier access to distribution of the paper.

The location at 4340-4350 Duncan Avenue was a key spot between the railroad line and the streetcar lines. The building was completed in 1930 and continued to print all rotogravure photos through the 1970s for the Post-Dispatch. The Building was purchased by Crescent Parts & Equipment Company in 1976 who used it as a warehouse until 1994. A series of businesses occupied the building from 1995 through 2006. Currently, the building is vacant and owned by Washington University. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 23rd, 2016.