The buildings are primarily brick structures of one to three stories in height, set close to each other and the sidewalk.

The buildings in the district representing the prevailing styles in commercial architecture during the period in which they were built, including Italianate, Late Victorian, Arts and Crafts and Commercial Brick structures, several of which are outstanding and well-preserved examples of these styles.

The arrival of the Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad in the late 1830s spurred some development, but it was not until the 1860s and 1870s, when surrounding landowners began an extensive program of land clearing, that the settlement enlarged substantially.

Blissfield incorporated as a village in 1875, and the same year a disastrous fire swept through the commercial district, destroying nearly all the buildings.

there was a building boom, but as with many small towns, the 1950s and 60s saw a slow decline in the commercial district as businesses closed or moved elsewhere.