North Washington Walking Tour

North Washington Walking Tour

Thursday, July 14, 2016 - 7:00

Tour begins at 800 N. Washington Ave.

Most of us drive by the remarkable homes on North Washington wondering "who lived there" before the street became a direct path to Lansing's Old Town.

A historical and architectural walking tour of the 800, 900, 1000 blocks of North Washington will be held on Thursday, July 14 beginning at 7 p.m. at the Creyts' House 800 N. Washington.

The tour will include three homes designed or altered by the Lansing architect Darius Moon. Darius Moon's homes are located at 915, 1003, and 1025 N. Washington. Over time the homes were occupied by a doctor, a lumber baron and a former major of Lansing and congressman. The home at 1003 N. Washington also served as a Lavey Funeral Home and is on the National Register.

Other homes along the tour were once occupied by Lansing businessmen who ran insurance, real estate and dray firms. Although the homes started as single family dwellings over time they became rental units, offices, and sites for trade associations.

The homes include a variety of architectural styles including Colonial Revival, Modernism, and Greek Revival.

The north Lansing neighborhood was self-contained with churches, shopping, groceries and meat markets in nearby North Town, now called Old Town. The area was connected to Downtown Lansing and North Town by a streetcar and several North Town business owners lived along North Washington.

Bill Castanier, president of the Historical Society of Greater Lansing, said North Washington represents both an important time in Lansing's growth and later its transformation in a modern city.