The Leavitts, who moved from Alfred to Sanford in the early 1890s, built this commercial block at the corner of Washington and School Streets. The Leavitt Block was built on the site of the old Sanford Post Office and as soon as the new building was completed, the new post office occupied the corner portion of the building. Consequently, the building was often referred to as the Post Office Block. On September 29, 1899 it burned to the ground and a new and much larger Leavitt Block went up in its place.