Dunleath (Summit Avenue) Walking Tour

Traces of nineteenth-century history linger on the edges of the Summit Avenue neighborhood (recently renamed Dunleath), 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 cotton and denim mills and the city center. Named “Summit Avenue” for its destination to the crossroads community of Brown Summit, the avenue was quickly lined with grand houses with Queen Anne, Romanesque, Neoclassical, and Colonial Revival details.

Side streets branded with Gotham City names such as “Park Avenue” and “Fifth Avenue” were soon lined with homes occupied by engineers and mechanics employed by the Cone textile mills. Later houses were designed in styles such as Craftsman Bungalows and Rectinlinear Foursquares. The majority of the neighborhood retained its industrial affiliations 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 as a vibrant urban neighborhood.

This is the 17th season of walking tours led by Preservation Greensboro’s Community Outreach Director Kathryn McDowell. You will gain insights on Ceasar and Moses Cone, James Waller, and other personalities that contributed to Summit Avenue’s distinctive history. Tours will take an hour and a half depending on questions.

Preservation Greensboro’s walking tours are limited to approximately 15 people and $5 per person. The best way we can do this in a safe way is to book tickets online (below). Meet in front of the Swann Middle School at 811 Cypress Street. Cancelled (and refundable) in case of rain/thunder. Wear comfortable shoes!

This event has met capacity.