Running parallel to the Willamette River, this area and the Yamhill Historic District to the south were part of the 1843 land claim that led to the establishment of Portland. From the mid- to late-19C it served as the city's main riverfront business and entertainment district. The area began to decline in the 1890s when the logging boom ended and railroads decreased the city's reliance on river trade. As the city center shifted west toward higher ground, Old Town gradually became a neglected skid row and many of the district's brick and cast-iron "commercial palaces" were demolished, leaving gaping holes. Since its designation in 1975 as a National Historic Landmark District, most of the late-19C buildings have been restored.