The James J. Hill House is considered the jewel of Summit and holds the status as the largest home in Minnesota. In its glory days, many influential people, including Vatican representatives and President McKinley, visited the home. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
The doors of the James J. Hill House are made of quarter sawn wood, meaning they are made in one piece and use one tree for each door. James J. Hill was an influential railroad tycoon and played a large role in the building of the Stone Arch Bridge. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
At 420 Summit, the University Club was an exclusive fraternal club that required a college education and a personal invitation for membership. The club is perched atop a large hill at the intersection of Ramsey Street and Summit Avenue. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
The University Club was built in 1912 by Alan Stem, designer of the St. Paul Hotel and New York City’s Grand Central Station. The club continues to function and accept members. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
The Burbank-Livingston Griggs “Cupola” House at 432 Summit is the second oldest house still standing on Summit Avenue. The cupola is the square structure on the roof of the house, which functions as a belfry or outlook. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
The Burbank-Livingston Griggs “Cupola” House was home to Crawford Livingston, the president of St. Paul Gas Light Company, which eventually became Excel Energy. Livingston also owned another home on Summit but lived in the Burbank-Livingston Griggs House while allowing his friend to stay in the Livingston-Smith Home at 339 Summit Avenue. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
The three Sisters’ Kit Houses on Laurel Avenue, several blocks off Summit, were built for three sisters in 1887 from the Sears and Roebuck catalog. Mail order houses were an emerging trend where customers could choose the pieces and color of the home, which would then be shipped to them. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
Summit Terrace is one of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s many homes. Although there is no official Fitzgerald house, 599 Summit is one of two houses with a plaque declaring his former residence. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
599 Summit was the childhood home of F. Scott Fitzgerald and his family. Fitzgerald wrote his novel “The Spire and the Gargoyle” and finished “This Side of Paradise” while living in this house.
The Commodore Hotel, just off Summit Avenue, was built in 1920. It was the residence of F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda shortly after their son Scottie was born. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
The Rice-Ordway Home was bought by Henry M. Rice — for whom Rice Park is named — as a gift for his daughter. It was later purchased by Lucius Ordway, who moved a struggling mining company from Duluth to St. Paul in 1920; the company went on to become 3M. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
The Old Smith Vine Mansion at 312 Summit Ave. was built in 1858. The house’s outer layer is stucco, allowing the vines to cling to the structure. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
The Old Smith Vine Mansion is the oldest house still standing on Summit Avenue. The home gets its name from the vines that cover its entire outside. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
The Governor’s Mansion, where Mark Dayton currently lives, is found at 1006 Summit Ave. The house sits along the longest stretch of Victorian homes in the country. (Natalie Hall/TommieMedia)
Natalie Hall can be reached at hall0224@stthomas.edu.