Evanston's downtown historic district contains about sixty buildings from the railroad era, clustered in a compact commercial grid. The architecture is the solid brick commercial vernacular of the late 19th century American West — functional, unpretentious, and well-preserved in ways that newer development hasn't managed to overwhelm. The district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
A walk through downtown takes about 20 minutes if you just want to see the buildings, or a full afternoon if you stop in the shops and cafes. The best buildings are on Main Street and the cross streets between 10th and 12th avenues.