From 1862 to 1934 the building was the home of the Paternolli family and home to one of the most famous stationery shops and printing houses of the twentieth century.

The building also holds significant cultural significance for the role it played in the life of philosopher Carlo Michelstaedter, who often met here in the attic with his friends Nino Paternolli and Enrico Mreule, his inseparable companions in study, adventures, and reflections, as well as the protagonists of Il dialogo della salute, written in the last weeks of his life. It was also in this attic that Carlo devoted himself to writing his doctoral thesis, "Persuasion and Rhetoric."

The entire building is still for sale and has never been fully renovated, except to repair the large hole in the front façade caused during the Great War. Recently, a drawing of a friar was found next to the door leading to the right wing of the attic floor, almost certainly by Michelstaedter himself, as can be deduced from a comparison with some of his drawings held at the Isontina State Library.