The Avery House story begins in early 1970. A stone cottage home on iconic Mountain Avenue was nearly a century old and slated to be torn down. Its story followed that of Franklin Avery – an essential figure in Fort Collins history, as he originally surveyed Fort Collins streets, founded what became First National Bank and built the iconic Avery Block building which is now part of Old Town Square. Surely, our community couldn’t let the Avery story be lost to time.
The cottage had been passed down through Franklin Avery's family and found itself without tenants when his son, Edward, passed away in 1962 and the home became a rental. This brings us to the biggest question of 1974: what would be the fate of the Avery House?
In comes Fort Collins community member, wife of the mayor: June Bennett. She rallied the troops, got all the movers and shakers in the town together and said ‘
No, we’re not going to let the Avery House be torn down!’ The Poudre Landmarks Foundation was born. The City of Fort Collins purchased the home. Poudre Landmarks stepped in to restore, renovate and manage the home, with hopes to share it and the stories behind it for generations to come.
