[1] After following Church back eastward, it goes up Seward, Pearl and Van Dorn streets to some houses on the west side of Skidmore, then down their rear lines to Pine Alley.

It returns to Pine Alley in the middle of the block to the east, then follows rear lines along the west of State Street to its northernmost point at Greenfield.

[1] Within this boundary there are 500 buildings, mostly wood frame houses, considered of sufficient integrity and age to be contributing properties to the district.

[1] The development of the West Side was forged in the early years by divisions and subdivisions of the land, which created lot lines still followed by streets today.

Later on, the railroad created a clear social dividing line which made the West Side the village's working-class neighborhood.

The patent was originally granted to Robert Livingston and David Schuyler in 1708, but could not be sold or subdivided for 60 years because of a dispute over the Indian deed.

When it was, Lot 12 of the patent's 16th General Allotment, where most of the present-day city of Saratoga Springs is located, was assigned to the heirs of Rip Van Dam, one of the original proprietors.

[1] Walton's son Henry built himself a country seat, called Wood Lawn, on his lands, presently where Skidmore is situated.

Just to its west was a poorer neighborhood, originally home to Irish immigrants (later Italians) who arrived via the Adirondack Railway (by then routed along Franklin), giving it the name Dublin, which it still has.

[1] In 1879 Henry Hilton acquired Woodlawn from Walton's heirs (supposedly having raised the money by defrauding the estate of Alexander Turney Stewart) and expanded it lavishly, adding around 600 acres (240 ha).

This occurred during Saratoga Springs' peak years as a resort and triggered the construction of lavish vacation homes in the northern reaches of the West Side, abutting the estate.

Later in the 20th century, urban renewal projects demolished some of the older, neglected buildings in the corridor where the railroad tracks had been.

Some of the Woodlawn property became a senior citizens' housing complex with high rises, and Skidmore moved into the land at the north end in 1976.

Frame predominates as a building material because of the proximity of the Adirondack forests to Saratoga Springs; architecturally the district reflects the vernacular styles found in that region.

Usually two stories tall, they show the greatest attention to the forms of popular contemporary styles and the most elaborate ornamentation, sometimes including surfaces of brick or stone in sections.

They are often one to two stories, located on smaller lots and more restrained in their architecture, with most taking the form of a front-facing gable with inline ells on telescoping on the rear.

They are found in the areas of the district with the smallest and densest lots, primarily the south side of Van Dam between Church and Woodlawn and the northern end of State Street.

These were usually utilitarian gabled sheds with a bay for a single horse and wagon (the exception being those that served the upscale homes of Franklin Square).