Grove Park Inn
Start at the front of the historic Grove Park Inn, which is also on the National Register of Historic Places. E.W. Grove made his fortune by creating and selling various medicinal drinks and hit it big when “Grove’s Tasteless Chill Tonic”, which uniquely suspended quinine in syrupy liquid form, became a popular treatment for malaria, chills and fever. In 1907, E.W. Grove seized the opportunity to purchase the land for his Inn, inspired by the famous lodge at Yellowstone Park, along with the surrounding land for housing development. The Inn took 11 months and 27 days to complete using granite quarried from nearby Sunset Mountain and opened on July 1, 1913. For more than 100 years, the Inn has hosted U.S. Presidents, Thomas Edison, Eleanor Roosevelt, F. Scott Fitzgerald, many other celebrities plus public figures and even the notorious Al Capone, who was known to play golf on the Grove Park Inn’s Donald Ross designed course. During WWII and into the early 1950’s, the federal government used the Grove Park Inn to detain German, Italian and Japanese diplomats, some of whom opposed their respective countries during the war. The U.S. Navy also used the Inn for sailors’ rest and rehabilitation. Hotel operations began again in 1955 when the Inn was purchased by the Sammons family. Today the Inn is part of Omni Hotels.
Macon Ave
Leave the Grove Park Inn entrance and walk along the Sammons Wing and up the slight slope to the stop sign. (From here, you can use the sidewalk along Macon Avenue.) Turn right onto Macon Avenue and continue west on Macon until you reach Sunset Terrace. Along the Way: Appreciate the first curvilinear street in Asheville. Laid out by E.W. Grove, Macon has a delightful mix of homes and one of Asheville’s first “suburban” trolley tracks also ran near today’s street. 288 Macon: The Fitzgerald. The Fitzgerald has 24 condominiums with views of the area mountains and downtown Asheville. The Fitzgerald’s massing and footprint mirror that of the original neo-gothic style Battle House which was demolished in 2006. Dr. Samuel Westray Battle arrived in Asheville in the 1880’s and used his influence as a physician to persuade wealthy individuals and families to visit and stay in Asheville; the Battle House was private home of the Battle family. Later, it was the home of WLOS and was widely believed to be haunted by the employees of the Grove Park Inn, “Alice” (an employee of the Battle family) and Dr. Battle himself. The Grove Park Neighborhood received some of the large slate shingles from the demolished Battle House and re-purposed them for neighborhood fundraising. The Bynum House: The Bynum House, with its romantic castle look, still stands. Curtis Bynum completed the house in 1923 on a 5-acre plot of forested land that was one of the first parcels sold by E.W. Grove to a non-family member. Mr. Bynum’s daughter, Katherine, had a summer camp for Girl Scouts on the property in the 1930’s. Bynum family members continued to live in the house until 1999 when it was sold to the Grove Park Inn. Use care to cross Macon from the sidewalk to the sidewalk on the other side of the street and continue down Macon Avenue. Along the Way: 185 Macon: The Longchamps. Progressive for its day, Longchamps building was completed in 1925/1926 and has 5 stories of beautifully maintained condominiums including 2-story penthouses on each side. 181 Macon: The current owners of this wonderful home creatively used natural materials and interesting landscaping to transform a mobile home into this highly desirable residence. A great example of mixing styles to create a home that fits harmoniously into a historic neighborhood. 173 Macon: Built in 1918, this impressive home was known as the Sunnyside Inn in the 1930’s/1940’s and hosted celebrities such as Alec Guinness, many WWII generals, Grace Kelly’s family during the filming of “The Swan” and many other visitors to Asheville. 171 Macon: Enjoy the collection of outdoor sculpture by noted artists that complement this large Craftsman/Cottage/Bungalow home. Built sometime between the late 1910’s and 1921, the home’s hipped roof, exposed rafter ends, half timbers and elaborate arched entry all add to its charm and curb appeal.
Sunset Terrace
Use the crosswalk to move back to the other side of Macon to the intersection of Macon and Sunset Terrace. Walk down towards the right on Sunset Terrace and follow the pavement directional arrows to loop around Sunset Terrace and return to the intersection of Macon. (A heads-up: This loop slopes downward on one side and up a short hill on the other side.) Along the Way: Each of the cottages of Sunset Terrace is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places. All were also designed by Ohio native, Charles Parker, a draftsman for Richard Sharp Smith, until opening his own design firm in 1913. A fun historical tidbit: Charles Parker’s caricature can be found on the main entrance of the Grove Arcade in downtown Asheville. 10 Sunset Terrace, “The Rosemary Cottage”: Rosemary Cottage was designed by Charles Parker, architect of the Grove Arcade, and was built by Rose Byrne in 1913. Rose Byrne and her mother, Mary, came to Asheville from New York after having lost many family members to tuberculosis. The Rosemary Cottage, which became Rose’s home, and the other cottages of Sunset Terrace are a tribute to Rose Byrne’s vision and determination to create a long-lasting community. A remarkable and adventurous woman, Rose traveled to Egypt, Alaska and throughout Europe. She lived at the Rosemary Cottage until her death in 1924 with her will stipulating that no changes be made to the cottages that would alter their character or the landscape. 9 Sunset Terrace, “The Primrose Cottage”: The Primrose Cottage was built at the same time as the Rosemary Cottage. This smaller, Tudor Revival cottage also has a large covered porch which adds to its charm. 26 Sunset Terrace, “The Westview” : Both “Westview” and “Rambler” were sold to Maria Louis Stevenson in 1925, a native of Scotland who moved to Asheville from Chicago. The economic depression of the 1930’s caused a foreclosure on Westview but Stevenson regained possession in 1940. 23 Sunset Terrace, “The Rambler”: The Rambler is the largest of the cottages with living spaces on 3 levels that take in the beauty of the surrounding trees. 32 Sunset Terrace, “The Blossoms”: This delightful cottage’s exceptional number of windows bring the beauty of nature into this multi-level home. 47 Sunset Terrace, “The Violet”: Rose Byrne sold the lot for Violet Cottage to her friend, Amy Colyer, and Charles Parker designed and built the cottage in 1920 on the edge of the Grove Park Inn’s golf course. The Violet Cottage was the last of the 6 cottages completed. One of the Violet cottage’s previous owners discounted stories that the house was haunted by a mysterious captain who roamed the upstairs but then encountered the ghost themselves!
Charlotte Street
Now turn left onto Charlotte Street and stop on your left just past the intersection of Charlotte Street and Evelyn. What you’ll see when you arrive at this point: 337 ½ Charlotte Street: This charming Period Cottage was built in 1923 and designed by Richard Sharp Smith and served for many years as the rectory for St. Mary’s Church. Today, it accommodates small church meetings. 337 Charlotte Street: St. Mary’s Church was founded in 1914 by members of Trinity Episcopal Church and its members asked Richard Sharp Smith to design their new home to resemble an English country parish church in a gothic revival style. The surrounding ravine was designed by Chauncey Beadle with the magnolias and dogwoods creating a serene place for a prayer garden. The prayer garden was renovated in 2001 and along with sculpture by noted Asheville artist Vadim Bora. In 2010, the parish added a new wing to accommodate education, meeting and office space and the new addition blends with the original church.
Grove Park
If you're following along on the paper map, this marks the end of the Orange Route and your tour may start the Blue Route from here. Start the Blue Route portion of your walking tour, by admiring E.W. Grove Park, across the street from St. Mary’s Episcopal Church. What to note: In the early 1900’s three individuals had significant influence on the entire Grove Park Neighborhood that we see today: 1) George Pack arrived in 1885 from Cleveland, Ohio, having made a fortune in the lumber industry, 2) Richard Howland, from Providence, Rhode Island, a well-known newspaperman who built his home on Sunset Mountain in 1900 and 3) E.W. Grove from St. Louis and a millionaire pharmacist. It was E.W. Grove who donated the land for the park that carries his name to the City of Asheville in 1904. The charming stone wall with its beehive motif is centered between 2 structures that served as the trolley houses for Richard Howland’s electric line trolley along Macon Avenue. Note the name of “Gertrude”, E. W. Grove’s wife and the namesake of Gertrude Place which runs along the west side of the park. In 2012, the Grove Park Sunset Mountain Neighborhood began much-needed work on E.W. Grove Park using native species of plants for new large planting beds while maintaining the park’s open area. With the careful restoration of the wall and trolley houses in 2018/2019, this public park is loved today and it’s common to see book clubs, tai chi classes, dog walkers, etc. all simultaneously enjoying the park.
Charlotte Street 2
Walk a bit farther to the south along Charlotte Street, cross Macon Avenue and stop at the southeast corner of Charlotte Street and Macon. What to note: 324 Charlotte Street: Look across Charlotte Street to the small stone building at the southern edge of the park. This was E.W. Grove’s office during the area real estate development and now the offices of the Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County. (PSABC) 1 Celia: Directly to the left of the PSABC on the corner of Charlotte and Celia is one of the most admired homes in the neighborhood with its rounded entryway and eye-catching red door. This 1925 home was built by E.A. Jackson for his daughter, Alberta. Widely considered to have been designed by Richard Sharp Smith, the home’s original features remain and a seamless addition parallel with Charlotte Street was completed in 2017. 327 Charlotte Street: Charles Parker, architect of the Grove Arcade, and W.J. Jackson, builder of the Jackson Building downtown on Pack Square, built this house as a “dream” home which featured many optional upgrades including a kitchen stove for gas or coal, multiple bathrooms, large bedrooms plus a servants house. In 1926, A.M. Griffing purchased this home for $50,000, a large sum in today’s dollars. Later, the house was owned by Cuthbert Lee, a well-known 1940’s portrait painter. 333 Charlotte Street: This prominent and elegant home was once the parsonage for Asheville’s First Baptist Church and was built in 1924. The church sold the house in the 1970’s and subsequent owners have done meticulous restorations including the preservation of the stone shed at the rear of the house.
Macon Avenue 2
Proceed up Macon Avenue’s South side until the intersection of Macon and Glendale. Along the way: The large median in Macon Avenue is one of the 22 landscaped islands throughout the Grove Park Sunset Mountain Neighborhood that are maintained by our neighborhood association. The gentle curve of this attractive feature conforms to the shape and contours of Macon Avenue. 41 Macon: One of the most admired homes on this section of Macon, the Ralph Worthington House was built at a cost of $34,000 in 1920. Notice the home’s symmetry with the rounded arched entryway. The home also was designed, as many others were on Macon, to conform to the existing contours of the land instead of today’s common practice of changing the land to accommodate the house. With its presence on the street and combination of colonial and Spanish revival architectural styles, the home remains very handsome today. 54 Macon: Lewis and Company was one of the many businesses during the early 20th century that sold both plans and complete “kits” for homes with all that you needed to build your home yourself with the help of cooperative family, friends and/or professionals. 54 Macon is one of those “kit” homes from Lewis and Company’s 1922 catalog. Thanks to volume and distribution reach, buyers could pick-up their future home at the local train station and add their own distinctive touches as desired. This charming home has characteristics of both the Arts and Crafts and Colonial Revival style. 63 Macon: An Arts and Crafts gem, this home was built for G.H. Morris of the Westall Lumber Company using dark brick and elements of the Prairie style popularized by Frank Lloyd Wright. A meticulous, multi-year renovation began when the current owners purchased the home in 2013. Great care was taken to preserve the period details and footprint of the house while adding a large “outdoor room” in 2016.
Glendale Rd
Turn right on Glendale and then right on Sunset Parkway and follow Sunset Parkway until it ends at Charlotte Street. To appreciate this special street, you will want to walk down both sides of Sunset Parkway. Along the way: 50 Glendale: This grand home was designed and built by famed architect Henry Gains for $30,000 in 1936 and has been restored down to the last detail. From the street you can glimpse the outstanding stone chimneys and the lovely winding entry drive. The large stone retaining wall on the north and west sides is original to the home. 52 Glendale: E.A. Jackson who designed the famous gothic revival Jackson building in downtown Asheville also designed this house in 1923. The house is remarkable for its large windows and the concrete steps that wind gracefully up to its stunning entryway. The woodland ravine in the middle of Sunset Parkway is Sunset Park and one of the 3 public parks in our neighborhood. Future neighborhood projects include refreshing and new plantings in Sunset Parkway’s western end. 54 Sunset Parkway: A 2 story Colonial Revival home with Arts and Crafts details, such as exposed rafter ends, this lovely home was built in 1925 by O.W. Slane and is another example of making the home follow the contours of the land. 55 Sunset Parkway: Charles A. Webb, the co-founder of the Asheville Citizen Times, built this impressive Colonial Revival home in 1915 for a total construction cost of $14,000. Take a peek at the large male Ginkgo tree in the back yard that was a gift from the Japanese ambassador to the U.S. and one of Asheville’s protected Treasure Trees. 48 Sunset Parkway: A quintessential English Cottage/Tudor revival circa 1924: This is another home designed and built by E.A. Jackson. Notice the large overhanging eaves that provide shade on hot summer days and the eastside sunroom that takes in the morning sun. The terraced lot and central stairs add to its curb appeal. 1 Sunset Parkway/ 295 Charlotte Street: The impressive building on the southeast corner of Sunset Parkway and Charlotte Street has had many uses since its construction in 1926 as the Asheville Women’s Club. In later years, it was a performance theatre and the progressive (for its day) Plonk arts school. Today, the property has another life as multiple condominium units that have kept the exterior integrity of the building and interior historic detailing as well.
Edwin Place
Now turn left onto Charlotte Street at the end of Sunset Parkway and make a right onto Edwin. Along the way: Notice the Manor Inn and its Gatehouse on the west side of Charlotte Street at the intersection of Charlotte Street and Edwin. Along with its historic cottages, this area was developed on forty-two acres by Thomas Wadley Raoul and his father, William Greene Raoul, former president of the Central Georgia Railroad. Thomas Raoul came to Asheville in 1897 to recuperate from tuberculosis and he and his father, along with New York architect, Bradford Gilbert, designed and built these remarkable properties in the 1890’s. Exclusive, but home-like accommodations were the hallmark of the Manor Inn. Between 1898 and 1910, the curvilinear streets and charming cottages were added to the development. Raoul sold the property to E.W. Grove in 1920. The Gatehouse and the Inn served as the movie set location for Fort William Henry in the 1992 film, Last of the Mohicans. The Grove Park Sunset Mountain Neighborhood was a “streetcar” suburb but also was designed with the automobile in mind. Streets like Edwin were laid out with wide and often curvilinear lines. You’ll notice throughout this tour the number of original detached and attached garages to accommodate vehicles. 2 Edwin Place: Known for many years as the William Johnson Jr. House, this is one of the best examples of the Shingle style and only a handful of homes in the neighborhood can be called Shingle style. What makes the Shingle style different? The shingle style was popular in the early part of the 20th century up until WWI and had wood siding that resembles roofing shingles and wide eaves. Screened front porches were common as well. 4 Edwin Place: The classical details like columns add a lot to this Colonial Revival home built in 1923 for the cost of $10,000. A reminder that the neighborhood was the first car and streetcar suburb, this home has retained its original 1923 garage as well. 100 Edwin Place: For many years, 100 Edwin was 3 apartments but now is a delightful single-family home that has been lovingly restored. Notice the names of the cross streets (Gertrude, Katherine, Lawrence, Edwin, etc.) E.W. Grove and his 2nd wife, Gertrude, had several children and the many streets are named for them and for close family friends!
Evelyn Place
Turn right onto Evelyn (at the traffic light) and continue along Evelyn until it ends at Charlotte Street. Along the way: 107 Evelyn: Richard Sharp Smith also designed this Colonial Revival home for William Jennings Bryan and blueprints describe it as “a cottage”. Bryan was a three-time candidate for U.S. President and Secretary of State under President Woodrow Wilson and wanted a home that represented classic Americana. However, despite his political career, Bryan is most remembered as the prosecuting attorney for the “Scopes Monkey Trial” in 1925 and for making the very long ribbon-cutting speech at the Grove Park Inn in 1913. In the 1980’s- 2010, the home was nicknamed “The Christmas House” for its year-round outdoor Christmas decorations which extended to every room inside the house. The current owners completed an extensive renovation that will ensure the home’s stability for many years to come. Notice the majestic American Sycamores and London Plane trees along both sides of Evelyn. Part of the design of the Grove Park neighborhood was to plant trees contiguously along streets to lengthen the vista and create continuity between homes. The London Plane is the first cousin of the American Sycamore. How do you tell the difference? The Sycamore is larger, has more solid leaves and a single fruit; the London Plane has leaves with deep lobes and a double fruit. Both are excellent urban trees ---and London Planes are common in large European cities, too---as they are tolerant of city conditions and provide a lot of shade for city sidewalks and streets. 73 Evelyn, The Otto Palm House: What is it about this house that automatically draws your attention? It’s the French Colonial architecture. Just as the many other “Colonial” styles have echoes of their country of inspiration, French is effortlessly elegant and always memorable. Otto Palm built this home in 1925 and it’s widely believed to be the only French Colonial in Asheville. The current owners noticed that there always seemed to be a breeze when they walked down Evelyn from E.W. Grove Park and have affectionately named the house “Evelyn Breeze”. 66 Evelyn: The massive columns on this gracious 1914 Arts and Crafts style home make a statement! Situated on one of the largest lots in the Grove Park Neighborhood, the home is surrounded by large trees and was meticulously restored to make an ideal family home. Don’t miss the 200+ year old massive white oak tree in the backyard that you can see from the street. White oaks, which take their name from the color of the finished wood, can live for several hundred years and many of similar size can be found throughout the Grove Park Neighborhood. 69 Evelyn: One of the best home transitions from a 1950’s ranch to an Arts and Crafts masterpiece. The core of this home was built in 1958 on a prime lot of this highly desirable street. By raising the roof and using stone and other timber details, the house was transformed into an English cottage. New details like a permeable driveway and other green features put this charming home firmly in the 21st century. 33 Evelyn: Stand back and admire the symmetry plus the perfect front yard and you’ll see why this home was photographed by Lowe’s for use in one of their brochures. Ranches like this seamlessly blend with any historic neighborhood. The massive tree with the sprawling roots and attractive peeling bark is an American Sycamore while the equally beautiful tree with the smooth bark is its close relative, a London Plane. 90 Gertrude Place, The Oates House (on the corner of Gertrude and Evelyn): One of the most famous homes in the Grove Park Neighborhood, the house sits on a promontory above Gertrude Place and E.W. Grove Park. A 1913 Richard Sharp Smith masterpiece, it has prime views of both St. Mary’s Episcopal Church (also designed by Richard Sharp Smith) and the park and was built for Central Bank President J. Rush Oates while Smith was the principal architect with Smith and Carrier. Building materials include stucco on masonry. Stylistically, 90 Gertrude illustrates a design juncture between Arts and Crafts and the emerging Prairie School (popularized by Frank Lloyd Wright) of the Arts and Crafts movement. 90 Gertrude’s renovations have received numerous recognitions, including PSABC’s Griffin Award.
Gertrude Place
Turn right onto Gertrude Place and then return to the intersection of Gertrude and Evelyn. Don’t miss: 62 Gertrude: There’s a reason why this impressive home is featured in real estate brochures even when it’s not for sale: It’s one of the “Grand Dames” of Gertrude Place. Gertrude Grove was E.W. Grove’s 2nd wife and her namesake street is fitting for the matriarch of an important Asheville family. This 1908 home also featured an impressive 2 car garage, spacious rooms, a generous covered front porch and large windows to take advantage of the prime view of E.W. Grove Park. The current owners also received the Griffin Award from the PSABC for the latest renovations that honor the home’s historic past blended with modern livability. This completes the Blue Route. From here you may enjoy the Orange Route by following the map and working backwards until you reach the Grove Park Inn.Your purchase of this walking tour supports the Grove Park Sunset Mountain Neighborhood’s ongoing work to maintain our 3 public parks and 22 traffic islands. Thanks for your support of the Grove Park Sunset Mountain Neighborhood!
