They have become known at "Harris Row" because William Torrey Harris, the prominent St. Louis educator, is said to have resided in one of them during the 1880s. The row is unique in its area for the continuity of its design. It represents a modest expression of the townhouse that is frequently seen in Lafayette Square.

Harris Row is one of the City´s most important block facades. Surviving streetscapes of its caliber are exceedingly rare and, as such, its continued preservation is of the utmost importance. This row of similar detached row houses came into prominence in 1972 when they were the center of a controversy over the routing of the North-South Distributor Highway along the eastern side of the Lafayette Square Historic District.