The J.O. Sundstrom Building began its 134-year existence as a department store. The original owners, John G. Bergsten and Jacob O. Sundstrom, both emigrated from Sweden but at different times. Both arrived in Chicago as members of the first Swedish Agricultural Company, the land company that would initiate the establishment of Lindsborg.  

Bergsten was firmly established in Lindsborg by the time Sundstrom moved to the town with his dream of starting a new-concept department store, seen only in metropolitan areas at that time. The men teamed up in 1879, building a store at the town's prime intersection for the then-magnificent sum of $7,000. It opened on December 23, just in time for last-minute Christmas shopping. It was a success.

Sundstrom operated the store until he died in 1926, yet the store lived on. In fact, an advertisement for the store appeared on the same page as Sundstrom's obituary. 

By 1928, however, a variety of businesses occupied the Sundstrom space. Sundstrom's daughter Elizabeth Sundstrom tended the building for years and rented to multiple tenants. Eventually it fell into disrepair and was purchased by the City of Lindsborg in 2003. 

After lengthy discussions, meetings, work sessions and the concentrated efforts of citizen groups, a plan to renovate the building finally emerged in 2011. Several uses for the site had been proposed, but city leaders decided that a conference/convention space would best fit the needs of the community, as well as honor the historic site. The design called for a complete reconstruction of the building, including replicating the distinctive Italianate architecture common to the late 19th century.