The structure was originally a World War I YWCA Hostess House and was located at Camp Fremont. After the war ended most of Camp Fremont was leveled, but Palo Alto purchased this building and it was moved to thge present location in 1919, where it became the first city funded community center in the US, and it later became the meeting place for a veterans organization. In 1976 the city wanted to demolish the building, but it was remolded in 1979 and became MacArthur Park Restaurant in 1981.
The front of the restaurant has numerous historical monuments, war memorials, and a memorial flagpole.

