Many of the homes on this route around Lake Park are historic, and nearly all of them are beautiful, with manicured gardens and architectural flourishes accenting a range of styles from Italianate to Victorian to French colonial. Come and gawk – but be respectful of these private homes and stick to the sidewalk.
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LENGTH: 2.5 MILES, 75 MINUTES (INCLUDING STOP-AND-LOOK TIME)
First, stop at Stone Creek Coffee (2650 N. Downer Ave.) to grab a drink and perhaps a pastry to walk with.
Now, park your car on Newberry Boulevard and Downer (two-hour limit Mon-Fri 9 a.m.-5 p.m., free Sat-Sun) and head west. Newberry is the main drag of this walk, and it’s worth it to cruise both sides of the broad boulevard to see each house up close. Make the U-turn at Maryland Avenue (cross the street first, though – the two homes on the far corners are both gems) and head back east along the boulevard toward the entrance to nearby Lake Park.
Turn south onto Lake Drive for one block; you’ll certainly stop at 2743, an 1896 Alexander Eschweiler-designed, Tudor revival-style masterpiece.
Then follow Wahl Avenue to take in the homes on your right and the lake’s expanse on your left.
At Wahl’s end, turn north onto Terrace Avenue for a few blocks. This is a good stretch of mixed styles of homes, but the gem is at 2611: the German Renaissance revival Anna & Gustav J.A. Trostel home, named for the leather magnate who built it in 1900.
Head west for one block on Belleview Place to Lake Drive before finishing the jaunt back north toward Newberry on Lake Drive. Turn west onto Newberry again, with one final delight on the way back to your car: the Carl A. Miller House at 2909, an imposing Jazz Age beaux arts mansion that’s the perfect capper to your mansion walk.
