The district is set on a broad, ancient flood plain bordered by the Great Kanawha River on the south and by commercialized Washington Street on the north.

[2] The East End displays a variety of architectural styles ranging from isolated surviving examples of the Greek Revival to the late Victorian Queen Anne.

Also included, primarily in the western section, are examples of the eclectic style of the second half of the 19th century to the revivals of the pre-World War I period.

Interspersed is a variety of adaptations and elements of almost every style: Italianate, Eastlake, Shingle, and Romanesque features being more prevalent in the western area, while the Georgian, Neo-Classical, Jacobethan, Prairie and Bungaloid are more often seen toward the eastern section.

Most buildings are single or double family dwellings of two or two and a half stories; exceptions are primarily apartment units of from three to six floors that blend quite well rather than more modern intrusions.