Cathedral Hill and Summit Avenue in Late Fall
From the Cathedral dome to the grand houses of Summit Avenue, Cathedral Hill in November shows Saint Paul's historic architecture at its most striking.
Summit Avenue in late fall is Saint Paul showing its best profile. Stretching from the Cathedral of Saint Paul westward toward the Mississippi River, the avenue is lined with the grand houses of the city's railroad and lumber era, many of them preserved along tree-lined blocks that rank among the most admired residential streets in America.
Cathedral Hill, the neighborhood at the avenue's eastern end, wraps around the Cathedral itself, whose dome watches over downtown from its hill. Around it, Victorian houses converted to apartments and condominiums, small restaurants and gathering places along Selby Avenue, and side streets of brick and stone give the hill a density and walkability that feel distinct from the city's quieter residential districts.
November strips the street to its architecture. With leaves down, details emerge that summer foliage hides: stonework, turrets, carriage houses and the rhythm of porches along the avenue. It is prime walking season for anyone willing to dress for the chill. The F. Scott Fitzgerald connection draws literary pilgrims, since the author was born in Saint Paul and lived on Summit Avenue, but residents will tell you the avenue rewards attention to houses with no famous names at all.
Take the walk before snow narrows the sidewalks. Start at the Cathedral for the view over downtown, head west along Summit at a photographer's pace, and detour onto Selby for coffee or dinner on the way back. Cathedral Hill in late fall is not a museum. It is a neighborhood entering winter in good order, lamplit, steep-roofed and entirely itself.
