In this paper, mixed mode magneto-rheological(MR) damper, which is applicable for vibration control of a small scale multi-story structure, is devised. First, the schematic configurations of the shear, flow, and mixed mode MR dampers are described with design constraints and then the analytical models to predict the field-dependent damping forces are derived for each type. Second, an appropriate size of the mixed mode MR damper is manufactured and its field-dependent damping characteristics are evaluated in time domain. Finally, the performance of the manufactured MR damper which is semi-actively applied to a small scale building excited by earthquake load, is numerically evaluated.