Many of Dallas' major retailers, hotels and banks once located here, and the district includes the city's early skyscrapers.

Subsequent development of downtown moved north and east to the City Center District in following years, leaving many of the historic buildings inefficient for modern offices.

Commerce and Elm Streets, major east-west thoroughfares, form the boundaries of the district and also contain many additional landmark structures.

[2] In the fall of 2014, the University of North Texas System opened the UNT College of Law in the Titche-Goettinger Building at 1900 Elm St. / 1901 Main St. After the completion of a $70 million dollar renovation in 2019, the law school moved to the former Dallas city hall on South Harwood Street next to Main Street Garden Park.

[3] the Beaux Arts style structure opened in 1914 and once held Lee Harvey Oswald but had slowly deteriorated over the decades.