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.