The Potomac-Broadway Historic District consists largely of a late 19th and early 20th century residential are
a with most buildings dating from 1870-1930. Major architectural styles found in the district are Second Empire, High Victorian Gothic, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival, and American Foursquare. The district contains large prestigious mansions, slightly smaller scale single-family houses, more modest houses and duplexes, apartments, and urban townhouses. The townhouses contain both commercial and residential uses. The mansions on the west side of North Potomac Street and Oak Hill Avenue are set well back from the street by tree-shaded front lawns. The homes on the east side of North Potomac Street and Oak Hill Avenue and on Broadway and E. North Avenue contain smaller front yards than those of the mansions. The townhouses on lower Potomac Street and on North Locust Street are set against the sidewalk. Together these buildings and settings portray the growth and development of Hagerstown from the late 19th century through its major commercial/industrial boom period from about 1880 to the 1930's.
The 400 block of North Potomac Street and 600 block of Oak Hill Avenue contained the homes of Hagerstown's business leaders who either created or rode the tide of the economic boom to great prosperity. The district was also home to insurance brokers, jewelers and executives with numerous manufacturing companies and banking establishments. Many salesmen, clerks, mid-level executives and craftsmen lived on Broadway and North Avenue. The district is located between the Oak Hill and Downtown Historic Districts.