The Coles building was constructed in 1906 of brick with reinforced concrete, for Henry Coles who had a music shop on the ground floor and leased the rest of the building. Descendants of the Coles family owned the building until c1970 when the Palmerston North City Council bought the property and leased the shops. The building was closed in April 1974 and demolished in May 1974, to make way for the new Palmerston North City Council complex.