The residential area contained middle to upper class housing that was developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the suburb of North Des Moines.

[1] The first section of this historic district is known as Official Plat of Government Lot 2 and it was laid out in 1886 (139 years ago) (1886).

The area south of Hickman Road between Seventh and Ninth Streets contained more modest sized lots without river views.

The street car line on Sixth Avenue encouraged development in the years prior to the large-scale use of the automobile.

The district is also associated with several real estate practices that significantly influenced the development of North Des Moines during this time period.

The middle- and upper-middle-class houses in the district provide a variety of different architectural styles that were popular in Des Moines in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

[2] It provides a transition between the traditionally laid out city block in the south and the irregular streets on the north side.