Burbank-Livingston-Griggs House

The Burbank-Livingston-Griggs House is one of the oldest and most distinguished mansions on Summit Avenue. Originally built in 1862 for James C. Burbank, a prominent transportation entrepreneur, the house has been enlarged and remodeled several times, evolving into the grand Italianate-style residence seen today.

Burbank made his fortune in the stagecoach and steamboat businesses, establishing transportation routes across the Upper Midwest before the railroads arrived. His original house was a relatively modest structure that was greatly expanded by subsequent owners.

Crawford Livingston, a wealthy gentleman who purchased the house in 1884, commissioned architect Clarence Johnston to transform the building into an opulent Italianate villa. Johnston added the dramatic entrance portico, the sweeping veranda, and much of the ornamental detail that characterizes the house today.

The Griggs family, who owned the house for much of the 20th century, further refined the property and maintained its magnificent gardens. The house and its grounds occupy one of the most prominent sites on Summit Avenue, offering views across the bluffs to the Mississippi River valley below.

The Burbank-Livingston-Griggs House stands as a physical record of Summit Avenue's evolution from a modest residential street to one of America's grandest Victorian boulevards.