Per its NRHP nomination, the district is significant as a well-preserved middle and upper-class residential neighborhood which reflects the process of suburbanization in New Haven during the late 19th and early 20th centuries...and which has retained its integrity with few intrusions or alterations....

The houses in the district embody the distinctive characteristics of several periods and types of domestic architecture, including locally outstanding examples of Queen Anne, Shingle, Colonial Revival, Tudor Revival, and other styles....[2]: 51 The district includes 749 "major" buildings: mostly houses but also schools, small commercial buildings, and a firehouse.

[2]: 56 [3]: pic #5 Other assorted styles are represented, including, notably, the Colin Ingersoll House at 475 Whitney Avenue, a spectacular Chateauesque style building designed by architect Joseph Northrup[2]: 57 [3] There are apartment buildings mixed into the housing stock, particularly of U-shaped forms and particularly along Whitney Avenue.

Together these attributes create the sense of historic and architectural cohesiveness which makes this area a distinctive cultural resource.

The row of properties on the west side of Whitney Avenue is officially in the Prospect Hill neighborhood planning area.