Cherokee is somewhat unusual in that it did not have a devastating fire in its history, therefore the downtown area was able to grow incrementally.

[2] Unlike many county seats, it does not have a focal point such as a centrally located courthouse square.

The Cherokee County Courthouse was built on a hill to the west of the downtown area.

The commercial Italianate, Romanesque Revival, Neoclassical, and Art Deco/Moderne Style are dominant.

Prominent architects who have buildings in the district include Josselyn & Taylor (Lewis Hotel; 1899), Warren Wilfred Beach (Hawley Allison Block; c. 1910), and William Beuttler and Ralph Arnold (Sachse, Bunn & Company Block; 1920).