Built circa 1880, this three-story brick building on the corner of Sydney and Leinster streets gives insight into 19th-century history in Saint John and the tumultuous early history of Chinese immigration into Canada.

This building is a good example of commercial Italianate architecture with high-quality brickwork. The roof lines are decorated with a band of blind roman arches, with more brick bands along the front façade. The storefront is divided by cast-iron pilasters, with the entrance on the left side of the front façade.
 
In the late 19th century, the rise of manufacturing led to grocery stores becoming more important than ever. More and more families were purchasing packaged goods, and the demand for staples such as sugar and flour remained high. The building operated as a grocery store under several different owners. The facility also offered "jobbing", or delivering goods to nearby areas.
 
Additionally, the building is notable for its time as a Chinese laundry. While information regarding this specific structure's time as a laundry is scarce, it nevertheless serves as an important reminder of a period of struggle among Chinese-Canadians. During the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885, many Chinese workers emigrated to Canada to work on the structure, often under perilous conditions with low pay. Upon the railway's completion, many of the Chinese immigrants moved eastward in hopes of finding employment. The Canadian government reacted with a series of anti-Chinese laws, severely limiting the job opportunities for these immigrants. In many places in North America, the hand-laundry business was one of the few available careers for Chinese citizens. Running the laundry was a grueling job, consisting of long hours of washing, ironing, pressing, packaging, and delivering clothes.