Joseph Mertes was president and treasurer of the R.S. Bacon Veneer Co. of Chicago when he owned this house in 1961. Bacon Veneer Co. was sold to Mertes in 1928. The 1930's saw Bacon Veneer Co. grow considerably. By 1957 Bacon Veneer Co. produced 15,000 square feet of paneling per day and employed 125 people. Mertes sold the company in 1963.