The Longest Stretch of Victorian Homes
In the stretch of the 4.5 miles of Summit Avenue stands 375 of 440 of the original Victorian homes. It’s the longest preserved stretch of historical homes in the United States! The most notable ones belonged to the Hill family, who are known for the spread of the railroad system in Minnesota and around. It was build in 1891, it’s 36,000 square feet and would cost 22.2 million dollars to build today! James J. Hill, the owner of the home, was known as “The Empire Builder”, which makes sense considering he could afford such a lavish home. This home is also available to tour and I can state it’s worth touring/ a breath-taking sight (the kitchen ceilings are even coated in gold!)
Original Hill House; Known as the James J. Hill House
James J. Hill also gifted mansions to his children on this street, imagine being gifted a mansion! His children’s homes are still around today, but I am not sure if they are still owned by distant relatives or other rich people. What’s interesting is the vast difference in architecture styles, which shows that his children had a variety of taste in homes.
Hill’s son’s gifted home; Made in inspiration of Southern homes
However, the very first home ever constructed dates back to 1855, even before Minnesota officially became a state. In 1859, six more homes were constructed, but sadly the last remaining home today from the original six is the Stuart house.
The Stuart House; One of the original six homes.
Another home worth mentioning on this street is F. Scott Fitzgerald’s home, the famous author who wrote “The Great Gatsby”, the book everyone read in the 9th grade.This home isn’t available for tours, it’s just the James J. Hill house that visitors can see the inside of, but the outside is still gorgeous.
Fitzgerald home
This street was not unique, every major city in America had streets of Victorian homes however, unlike the cities of New York or other historically places, Minneapolis chose to keep the homes and use them for other things (like apartment places) instead of destroying them for modernization. This has left it a unique sight because no other state has this amount of Victorian homes on a historic street left up to enjoy. Would you want a home on this street? I know I would!