Many of the buildings around Pekkatori square were unboarded during the first few years. It is known that at least the Lang house was red, probably painted with red ochre, before boarding. Otherwise, the houses were usually unboarded grey, unfinished. The first boardings of the buildings around Pekkatori square are from the 1820s. At that time painting was becoming ever popular in Finland and the newly boarded middle class houses of Pekkatori square were given a light oil paint in the spirit of the time, yellow and grey for the walls and white for the mouldings and window frames.

The Lang, Fontell, Montin, Frieman and Hedmansson houses were completed during the years 1811—1815 and thus represent the wealthy town construction of the beginning of the 19th century. The influence of the neo-classicism can be seen in the dimensions of the houses.

Pekkatori square is the most important entity included in the town plan drawn by Gustaf Odenwall in 1811 after the fire of Raahe. It was to become an administrative and trading centre. Plots around the square were given to the most notable burghers of the town, i.e. the aldermen, merchants and shipowners. A new town hall was to be built on the plot of the southwest corner of the square.