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Historic Summit Avenue Neighborhood
November 14, 2015 @ 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Traces of nineteenth-century history linger on the edges of the Summit Avenue neighborhood, but the greatest architectural legacy dates from the early twentieth-century. In 1898, industrialist siblings Ceasar and Moses Cone constructed a “magnificent boulevard” to ease transportation between their mills and the city center. Named “Summit Avenue” for its destination to the crossroads community of Brown Summit, the avenue was quickly occupied with grand homes with Queen Anne, Romanesque, Neoclassical, and Colonial Revival details.
Side streets branded with metropolitan names such as “Park Avenue” and “Fifth Avenue” were soon lined with homes occupied by engineers and mechanics employed by the mills. Their houses were designed in styles such as Craftsman Bungalows and Rectinlinear Foursquares. The entire neighborhood maintained its industrial affiliation throughout the twentieth-century until its ample and affordable residences were re-discovered by artists and educators in the 1980s. Since then, the neighborhood has seen a great deal of reinvestment and population growth.
Preservation Greensboro’s urban guide Ryan Gray will provide insights and anecdotal stories about Ceasar and Moses Cone and other personalities that contributed to Summit Avenue’s recognition in 1984 as one of only three local historic districts in Greensboro. Tours will take an hour and a half depending on questions.
Meet in front of the Charles B. Aycock Middle School at 811 Cypress Street. Rain or shine, cancelled only if thunder is heard. Wear comfortable shoes!
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