Summit Avenue (St. Paul)

Historic Hill District
The Cathedral of Saint Paul overshadows mansions on east Summit Avenue
LocationIrregular pattern from Pleasant and Grand Aves. to Holly and Marshall Aves., from Lexington Pkwy. to 4th and Pleasant in St. Paul, Minnesota
Built1860
ArchitectMultiple
Architectural styleLate 19th and 20th Century Revivals, Late Victorian
NRHP reference No.76001067
Added to NRHPAugust 13, 1976
West Summit Avenue Historic District
Homes on West Summit Avenue
LocationSummit Avenue between Lexington Parkway and Mississippi River Boulevard in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Built1887
ArchitectMultiple
Architectural styleColonial Revival, Classical Revival, Bungalow/Craftsman Queen Anne Romanesque Revival Beaux-Arts Tudor Revival
NRHP reference No.93000332
Added to NRHPMay 4, 1993

Summit Avenue is a street in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, known for being the longest avenue of Victorian homes in the country, with many historic houses, churches, synagogues, schools, and universities. The street starts just west of downtown Saint Paul and continues four and a half miles west to the Mississippi River, where Saint Paul meets Minneapolis. Other cities have similar streets, such as Prairie Avenue in Chicago, Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, and Fifth Avenue in New York City. Summit Avenue is notable for having preserved its historic character and mix of buildings. Historian Ernest R. Sandeen called it "the best preserved example of the Victorian monumental residential boulevard."

Summit Avenue is part of two National Historic Districts and two City of Saint Paul Heritage Preservation Districts. The National Historic Districts are the Historic Hill District, an irregular area roughly bounded by Lexington Avenue, Portland Avenue, Dale Street North, Marshall Avenue, Pleasant Street, and Grand Avenue (excluding the area within the Woodland Park Historic District), and the West Summit Avenue Historic District, a narrow area running from Oxford Street southwest to the Mississippi River along Summit Avenue. The city districts are Summit Hill, also known as Crocus Hill, a triangular region from Lexington Avenue on the west, Summit Avenue on the north, and the bluffs (just north of Interstate Highway 35E) on the south, and Ramsey Hill, the area bounded by Summit Avenue, Dale Street, Interstate Highway 94, and a line running north from the Cathedral of Saint Paul. Most of the houses in this district are large, distinctive edifices built between 1890 and 1920.

Summit Avenue was named one of 10 "great streets" nationally by the American Planning Association in 2008.