The Division Street Historic District is a small residential neighborhood first platted as Henry's Addition in 1858. At that time this land was open and undeveloped. Unfortunately for those who developed the plat, the area was too far from the center of the city to attract much attention for the next 25 years and only four small houses were built (none has survived). All this changed in the mid-1890s when the local mining industry underwent a major revival. Between 1892 and 1908, Platteville's population grew from 2900 to 5400, and during the same period, Henry's Addition found itself transformed into a prosperous neighborhood whose homeowners were mostly successful local businessmen.

Most of the houses that make up the Division Street Historic District are medium size examples of the Queen Anne and American Foursquare styles built between 1894 and 1908. These houses are divided almost equally between these two styles and their numbers include typical examples of both. What makes the District of special interest is the number of transitional examples that share elements of both styles. Houses like these are often found during periods when architectural tastes are changing, but examples are seldom distributed in such a way as to make the transition easy to see. Because the houses in the Division Street District were built in a very compact area and over a relatively short period of time, this very important shift in architectural tastes can be readily appreciated within the boundaries of the District.

The houses in this district are private residences. Please respect the rights and privacy of the residents.