The historic district's street plan originated in the colonial era. It "reflects medieval European town patterns rather than the standard grid found throughout much of Manhattan, and together with the district's towering skyscrapers it creates the narrow 'canyons' for which the area is so famous."[2]
Sites within the district
Within the historic district are 21 sites that are individually (i.e., separately) listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), as follows:[3]
Two further buildings within the Wall Street Historic District are individually listed on the New York State Register of Historic Places, but not the NRHP. These are the Trinity Building (111 Broadway) and the U.S. Realty Company Building (115 Broadway). Both of these are also New York City Landmarks.[3]