Centered on a crossing of the Naugatuck River, the 56-acre (23 ha) historic district is well-represented with architecture from the mid-19th to early 20th centuries.

[1] The area that is now downtown Torrington developed in the 18th century, as a major junction point of the north-south Waterbury Turnpike, connecting Waterbury in the south to Winchester in the north, with the Canton Turnpike, running east to Canton.

A mill was established on the Naugatuck River in 1813, and the area experienced more rapid growth after the railroad arrived in 1849.

It includes what was originally the Conley Hotel in 1891, now the Yankee Pedlar, as well as the Warner Theatre and the Fyler-Hotchkiss Estate, the latter two of which are individually listed on the National Register.

[2] A walking tour of the district designed by the Torrington Historical Society visits 21 properties.