J. Frank Cowgill was a local realtor who had helped many people move into the new residential areas in the Stuart area. He had this home built for himself in 1889 on the corner of Kalamazoo and Stuart. It is one of the finer Queen Anne homes in the area.

Cowgill lived here until his death in 1898. The house was then sold to James Balch who would remain for a half a century. Balch had interest in the Kalamazoo Cold Storage Company, the Watervliet Paper Company, and National Corset Company.