The area that would become the West End originally consisted simply of a trading post, established by John Neely Bryan.

In July 1872, the Houston & Texas Central Railroad arrived downtown, attracting manufacturing companies whose warehouses would come to define the architecture of the West End.

The district reached nationwide prominence in the 1960s, when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in a Presidential motorcade traveling through Dealey Plaza.

While the assassination brought the attention to the West End, the district's economy still struggled, with many businesses leaving the city center for suburban locations.

[4] Today, over seven million people visit the West End annually, making it one of the city's leading tourist attractions.[when?]