The district lies between downtown Florence and the University of North Alabama and is named for Ferdinand Sannoner, who surveyed the new town in 1818.

In the first half of the 19th century, many wealthy merchants, planters, and lawyers built their homes in the neighborhood.

Emmet O'Neal's house, Courtview, is the centerpiece of the district; the Greek Revival mansion is situated on a hill at the end of Court Street.

After the Civil War and Reconstruction, Florence underwent a series of economic booms in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Several Victorian houses were built before the turn of the century, as well as the Gothic Revival Trinity Episcopal Church.