Sightseeing St Paul Streets, MN – 21 AUG 2012

At the Capitol, we learn Summit Avenue was around the corner; a five mile stretch of historic Victorian houses and mansions.
Now part of two National Historic Districts and two City of Saint Paul Heritage Preservation Districts.
The homes were built between 1856 and 1880 and 85% remain in their original form.
The following architectural styles can be seen: Beaux Art, Georgian Revival, Italian Villa, Queen Ann, Prairie, Ranch, Romanesque, Second Empire, Spanish Colonial, and Tudor.
The Commodore Hotel, the place where F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote the Great Gatsby, is also in this area.
We wanted to take a tour of the nearby Ramsey House, but it was closed for the summer.
There were also interesting Victorians near the Ramsey house.
Alexander Ramsey House
Alexander Ramsey was the first governor of the Minnesota Territory.
Ramsey House
Ramsey House After the last surviving granddaughter died in 1964, the 15-room house became a museum operated by the Minnesota Historical Society.
Ramsey House
Ramsey House
While driving down Summit Avenue we saw a bunch of people standing outside a house and decided to investigate. 
It turned out to be the Governors’ Mansion and they were conducting tours so we joined a group. 
Trim Around Fireplace
Being filled with people, I didn’t find much to photograph but I was impressed with seeing a Calder: