[1] Barre was primarily a small sleepy agricultural community until it was joined to the national railroad network by the Central Vermont Railway in 1875.

[2] The district is mostly linear, extending along North Main Street (US 302) between Depot Square and City Park.

Despite the significance of granite to the local economy, most of the buildings are of primarily brick construction.

They are in a diversity of styles, from late examples of Italianate architecture, built in the 1880s, to Classical Revival and Romanesque building from the 1890s and 1900s.

The 1898 Miles Block (158-168 North Main) exhibits one of the most extensive uses of local granite in its construction.