Hearthstone's Historic Tours of Appleton: Victorian and Edwardian Homes of Prospect Avenue 1849-1919

Explore Appleton’s architectural legacy and its fascinating history with this free, cell-phone based (no download necessary) walking tour.

Famed as “one of the finest streets in the city” in 1872, historic Prospect Avenue was once lined with the beautiful homes of Appleton's civic leaders.  They were industrialists, merchants, judges, and politicians.  From their showcase homes overlooking the Fox River, which offered “no finer view of the Grand Chute falls and rapids,” these leaders guided the city's development and dictated the fashions of the day.  The bluff also provided a commanding view of the mills and other factories lining the river – the businesses that permitted these beautiful homes to be built.

These homes, many of which are on the National Register or in the West Prospect Avenue Historic District, beautifully represent the major national architectural styles of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries:  Queen Anne Style, Italianate, Greek Revival, Prairie School, and the like.

This tour still echoes with the sound of water rushing over the dam below.  It highlights not only the stately homes that still exist along this tree-lined street but also the beautiful homes that have been lost over time.  

Enjoy the beauty that remains and envision that beauty that has been lost from when this avenue was “one of the finest streets in the city.”

Total walking distance: .96 miles or 1.54 km.  Please use the sidewalk on the river side of the street for the entire tour.

Total narration time:  28 minutes.  It is strongly suggested that headphones or ear buds be used for the tour to mitigate road noise.

For additional information and to start, click here.