The neighborhood was settled in the 1880s and 1890s with duplexes and apartment building settled alongside mansions.
Early development of the area was limited due to the steep slopes of Summit and Ramsey hills.
By the 1880s a portion of Summit-University had become the neighborhood in Saint Paul, after streetcar service made it accessible.
Not all of Summit-University was populated by the rich, but the neighborhood was always middle class or better.
The best housing was along the southern and eastern edges.
Closer to University Avenue the housing was less grand.
The whole area was predominately residential.
Neighborhood stores were located along the streetcar routes but little industry intruded.

For decades Summit-University was protected from downtown encroachment by the physical barricade of the bluff, and by the pace of downtown development.
With the advent of easy automobile travel in the 1920s, the city's elite began moving away from the neighborhood.
The great mansions along Summit Avenue and Crocus Hill declined somewhat but were not subdivided allowed to decay as were similar areas in many American cities.
This genteel area of the neighborhood's southern and eastern fringe helped preserve it.
The Saint Paul Pioneer Press claimed the Hill District was the “largest solid home community” in the country in the early 1930s.
The neighborhood was settled in the 1880s and 1890s with duplexes and apartment building settled alongside mansions. Early development of the area was limited due to the steep slopes of Summit and Ramsey hills. By the 1880s a portion of Summit-University had become the neighborhood in Saint Paul, after streetcar service made it accessible. Not all of Summit-University was populated by the rich, but the neighborhood was always middle class or better. The best housing was along the southern and eastern edges. Closer to University Avenue the housing was less grand. The whole area was predominately residential. Neighborhood stores were located along the streetcar routes but little industry intruded.
For decades Summit-University was protected from downtown encroachment by the physical barricade of the bluff, and by the pace of downtown development. With the advent of easy automobile travel in the 1920s, the city's elite began moving away from the neighborhood. The great mansions along Summit Avenue and Crocus Hill declined somewhat but were not subdivided allowed to decay as were similar areas in many American cities. This genteel area of the neighborhood's southern and eastern fringe helped preserve it. The Saint Paul Pioneer Press claimed the Hill District was the “largest solid home community” in the country in the early 1930s.
Summit-University, Saint Paul