The southern section is the commercial core of the city, with many of its important public and private buildings, most intact from its peak days as a resort town in that era.

North Broadway is a residential neighborhood with many large Victorian houses built by frequent visitors to the town and its spas and racetrack.

It is divided into residential and commercial sections by the intersection with Van Dam Street roughly midway between its two termini.

The houses opposite Skidmore's main entrance are included; at the city line the west boundary begins.

[2] High Rock Spring was known to the native peoples of the area and had long been visited by them for its supposed curative powers.

But Union Avenue's visitors came from all over the country for the horse races, whereas those on North Broadway were from further south in the Capital District and primarily came to Saratoga Springs to take advantage of the baths and get away for the summer.

The district's historic character is preserved by the city's Design Review Commission, a seven-member body appointed by the mayor to staggered three-year terms.