The district consists of several commercial, residential, religious, and public buildings that developed around a late nineteenth century train and trolley station.

While Emory Place declined with the dismantling of Knoxville's trolley system in the late 1940s, many of its late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century buildings still stand, and have been restored.

The first was the establishment of Old Gray Cemetery in 1850, which served as a de facto public park, and drew pedestrians to the area.

The second event was the construction of the railroad, which reached Knoxville in 1855, pushing the city's northern limits to what is now the Southern Railway tracks.

[2] On July 20, 1863, at the height of the Civil War, Union General William P. Sanders placed artillery along what is now the section of Fifth Avenue between Broadway and Central, and proceeded to shell Knoxville, which was then held by Confederate forces.

[2] Many of the new businessmen and residents of Emory Place were the children and grandchildren of Irish and German immigrants, who had come to Knoxville in previous decades to help build the railroads.

[2] In 1905, the Dummy Line was replaced by an electric trolley, and Emory Place gradually became a residential neighborhood as many of its small industries failed or moved away.

Knoxville High School was built in 1910, its location at the corner of Fifth and Central chosen in part for its proximity to the trolley station at Emory Place.

The Doughboy Statue on the school's front lawn was erected in 1921 to commemorate Knoxville's World War I veterans.

[1] The church's Sunday school building is a two-story Romanesque structure with a Spanish tile roof, and an arched entrance flanked by stone pilasters with Corinthian capitals.

The church's educational and office building is a three-story brick structure with a Roman tile roof and arched double doors.

[1] In 2010, the building was restored by the architectural firm, Sanders Pace, and is currently occupied by an office design company, Ivan Allen Workspace.

[3] 6-12 Emory Place, sometimes called the W. F. Green and Company Grocery Store building after an early occupant, is a two-story brick Richardsonian Romanesque structure built in 1890.

[1] 15-17 Emory Place, called the Whittle and Spence Trunk Company building after its first owner, is a two-story Richardsonian Romanesque-style structure built in 1890.

[4] The Lucerne (201 West Fifth Avenue) is a three-story brick Neoclassical-style apartment building constructed circa 1925 by furniture store magnate James G.

[1] In its early years, the basement of the Lucerne was home to the Fifth Avenue Tea Room, a popular gathering place among local women.

[1] The building is now a condominium operated by Lucerne Condos, Inc. 507-509 N. Central Street, now called McMillan Place, is a two-story, two-unit, Colonial Revival-style rowhouse built circa 1905.