Historic Homes Tour Feature: The 1879 Avery House

Tour the Avery House in Person or Virtually during the 37th Annual Historic Homes Tour

The 1879 Avery House - 328 West Mountain Avenue

c. 1879
328 W. Mountain Ave.
Owner: City of Fort Collins
Style: Gothic Cottage
National Register, 1972; State Register, 1972; Local Landmark, 1974; part of Avery House Local Landmark District, 1990 Managed by: Poudre Landmarks Foundation

Franklin Avery came from New York to Northern Colorado in 1870. Fort Collins has him to thank for our wide streets; he took advantage of the open spaces when he surveyed the town in 1873. Avery later founded First National Bank and was instrumental in developing water projects that enabled agriculture to flourish in northern Colorado.

In 1879, he and his wife Sara built a family home on the corner of Mountain Avenue and Meldrum Street and raised their children, Edgar, Ethel, and Louise, there. The original two-story home consisted of two rooms on the first floor, now the entry area and dining room; three bedrooms upstairs; and a basement. Constructed of sandstone from local quarries, the house cost $3,000 when it was built. During the ensuing years, the Averys added to the house several times; the final addition included the distinctive Queen Anne tower.

After 83 years and three generations, the last of the Avery family moved on in 1962 when the home was sold. Poudre Landmarks Foundation, Inc., was formed in 1972. The group worked with the City of Fort Collins to purchase the home in 1974 at a cost of $79,000. PLF then took responsibility to oversee restoration of the house. In 1981, Poudre Landmarks Foundation organized the Avery House Historic District Guild to assist with the project.

The house, Margareth Merrill Memorial Gazebo, fountain, and carriage house are part of the Avery House Historic District listed in the National Register of Historic Places