[2][3] The township of Boulder was created as a supply center for miners in the Pike's Peak Gold Rush in 1858–59.

In 1980 the district was deemed "significant because of its association with the evolution and development of business and commerce in the city which has long served as the economic center of the Boulder Valley and surrounding communities.

The district is also significant for its architectural features which manifest the salient characteristics of late nineteenth/early twentieth century commercial design."

[2] The National Register designation provided limited protection, however, and about 15 percent of the historic buildings were lost.

[4] Selected contributing buildings include: In 2018, the historic district's official documentation was updated "to recognize an additional area of significance of Social History for the Boulder County Courthouse, as well as the district generally, for association with the first same-sex marriage licenses issued in Colorado and the civil rights struggles of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) people.