Asheville
Urban Trail

Urban Trail Audio Tour

Iron Plaque that says Walk into History

#1 - Walk Into History

Listen:

This "jump off" station recognizes, via plaque, the original unfolding of Pack Square where the first log courthouse of the city stood in 1893.

Building Facade of Asheville Brewing Company on Coxe Ave.

#1 - Can Vault

A building façade adorned in mid-century patterning with abstracted, geometric representations of pint glasses.

Bronzed hat, cane, & gloves on a bench

#3 - Stepping Out

Listen:

A top hat, cane and gloves, cast in bronze, recall the theaters and the Grand Opera House that once flourished along Patton Avenue.

Bronze pocket watch

#4 - O. Henry

Listen:

Former resident Sydney Porter is celebrated with visual cues from his short masterpiece The Gift of the Magi.

Victorian frieze

#5 - Immortal Image

Listen:

The plaque at Station #5 draws attention to the Victorian frieze work along the front of the Drhumor Building (1895).

Elizabeth Blackwell - Urban Trail

#6 - Elizabeth Blackwell

Listen:

A bench with a bower of medicinal herbs (created by Joe Miller) honors Asheville resident Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman M.D. in the U.S.

S&W Building

#7 - Art Deco Masterpiece

Listen:

This stop pays homage to the 1929 S&W Building.

Copy of Flat Iron Architecture

#8 - Flat Iron Architecture

Listen:

Turn the corner and you'll discover a fabulously large iron, a replica of one used by a local laundry (artist: Reed Todd).

Cat Statue on Wall St

#9 - Cat Walk

Listen:

Bronze cats mark the site of an original retaining wall for a hill later removed by E.W. Grove to develop that part of downtown Asheville.

Grove Arcade

#10 - Grove’s Vision

Listen:

A glass etching (temporarily unavailable) shows the original plans for the Grove Arcade, including a full-fledged tower that was never built.

Historic Hilltop

#11 - Historic Hilltop

Listen:

This "signature" station celebrates both “old” and “new” Battery Park Hotels, the first destroyed by fire, but both known for their guest lists.

Guastavino's Monument

#12 - Guastavino’s Monument

Listen:

The Basilica of St. Lawrence features North America's largest self-supporting elliptical dome.

Appalachian Stage

#13 - Appalachian Stage

Listen:

Five bronze figures seemingly float to the rhythms of Appalachian music, a tribute to the songs of the mountains.

Shopping Daze

#14 - Shopping Daze

Listen:

This forged-metal representation of three well-heeled and hatted ladies with a small dog in tow commemorates an era when Haywood Street was the epicenter of fashionable shopping.

Marketplace

#15 - Marketplace

Listen:

A basket of apples balanced over wagon wheels recalls a time when produce markets and livery stables lined Lexington Avenue.

Legacy of Design

#16 - Legacy of Design

Listen:

The unbridled imagination of a boy on stilts captures the spirit of architect Richard Sharp Smith who left a lasting impact on the city's architecture.

Woodfin House

#17 - Woodfin House

Listen:

A ceramic replica of the Woodfin House honors Nicholas Woodfin, prominent lawyer and farmer.

Wolfe's Neighborhood

#18 - Wolfe’s Neighborhood

Listen:

You can vault time zones by standing in the indicated footsteps, large enough for Thomas Wolfe's large shoes.

Dixieland

#19 - Dixieland

Listen:

A bronze version of Wolfe’s shoes draws attention to his mother’s boarding house, Old Kentucky Home.

Curtain Calls

#20 - Curtain Calls

Listen:

Abstract metal sculptures wrangle to earth the myriad of emotions portrayed on stage in the long history of Asheville Community Theatre.

On the Move

#21 - On the Move

Listen:

A silvery, art-in-motion sculpture, detailed with Art Deco stampings, honors the evolution of transportation in Asheville.

Civic Pride

#22 - Civic Pride

Listen:

A bell very close in shape to this one once rung out at important times in Asheville's original City Hall.

Man and Mountain

#23 - Man and Mountain

Listen:

A bronze plaque pays homage to the mountains with a nod towards Beaucatcher Road.

Time Remembered

#24 - Time Remembered

Listen:

This grass-surrounded marker reveals that there’s a time capsule buried underneath.

Ellington's Dream

#25 - Ellington’s Dream

Listen:

This granite etching renders Douglas Ellington’s original working concept of two art deco buildings of government.

Past and Promise

#26 - Past and Promise

Listen:

A girl in bronze drinks at a fountain.

Monument Corner

#27 - Monument Corner

Listen:

Carving tools and a work in progress represent W.O. Wolfe’s tombstone shop.

Brick Artisan

#28 - Brick Artisan

Listen:

A plaque honors James Vester Miller, a son of slaves and master brick mason and artisan for the Municipal Building.

The Block

#29 - The Block

Listen:

Artist Winston Wingo's bronze relief celebrates the spirit of Asheville's African-American community.

Hotel District

#30 - Hotel District

Listen:

A bronze eagle overlooks a storied hotel district of old Asheville