In 1898, Frank W. Hawks, a successful furniture manufacturer from Goshen, Indiana, moved to Neenah, Wisconsin, with his wife, Helen Howard Hawks. Mr. Hawks partnered with his father in law, Charles Howard, to expand the Howard Paper Company in the region and the success from this partnership allowed Hawks to construct the house in 1904. The family grew to include five children by 1907. The winter weather and stress of the births on Helen led to her failing health. As a result, the Hawks home in Neenah was used primarily as a summer residence, and they spent winters in California. The Hawks family moved permanently to Pasadena, California in 1910. While in California, Hawks rented the house to C. B. Clark Jr. In 1912, Hawks sold the house to H. K. Babcock. Babcock died in 1930, but his widow, Fanny Lyons Babcock, continued to reside in the house until her death in 1963. Fanny Babcock added an elevator in the house at some point to assist in her travel around the house. After the death of Mrs. Babcock, the estate was passed on to Susan Kimberly Sutter. Sutter resided in the house for only a few years before selling it to H. T. Rindal and his wife, Natalie, in 1968. The Rindal's in turn sold the house to Robert and Lorraine Torgerson. (A photograph of the house during the Torgerson ownership can be found on the photos page.) The Torgersons sold the house to the Davis family in 1994. The Davis family modernized the kitchen and bathroom, added a bar in the ballroom, and repainted the house.