Francis Silas Rodgers was born in 1841 and lived until 1911. He was a man who had come upon great wealth and he wanted to build a house for himself and also have room for his children and grandchildren. In May of 1881, Rodgers obtained a large lot at the southeast corner of Smith and Wentworth Streets. He wanted the property to be a perfect rectangle so he attempted to buy a small, adjoining house. The owner would not sell it so he bought another lot to the east. He built a fourteen-foot high wall and a stable housing six horses. The wall and stable enclosed on the three sides of the property he was unable to acquire. Daniel G. Wayne was employed as the architect to build the four-story 13,883 square foot mansion. It is not certain when construction was started, but the mansion was completed in the summer of 1886.