After a long and cold winter, the popular Summit Avenue Walking Tours at the James J. Hill House mark the welcome return of spring. In addition, this May the house will be filled with chamber music from Vienna to Buenos Aires, and may points in between. Plus, visitors can learn about James J. Hill's legacy with the annual program, "Death of the Empire Builder."

Summit Avenue Walking Tours
Date: Every Saturday and Sunday, May through September
Time: 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays
Fee: $12 adults, $10 seniors and college students, $8 children 6-17; $2 discount for MNHS members.
Reservations: recommended; call 651-297-2555.

Take a 90-minute tour of the Summit Avenue neighborhood, named one of America's "Great Streets" in 2008. The walking tour highlights the Gilded-Age mansions and the people who owned them. Guides will talk about architecture, social history and current preservation issues during this 1.5 mile tour, which starts at the James J. Hill House, heads West down Summit and returns and ends at the Cathedral of St. Paul.

Hill House Chamber Concerts: From Vienna to Buenos Aires
Date: Monday, May 5
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Fee: $20 adults, $12 college students and seniors, $17 for MNHS/Schubert Club members.
Reservations: recommended; call 651-297-2555.

This evening concert, held in the restored art gallery of the Hill House, features Bach, Violin Sonata in E minor, BWV 1023; Piazolla, Histoire du Tango for violin and guitar; Gade, Tango Jalousie; and Mozart, String Quintet in C Major, K515. Guest artists are mary Jo Gothmann, piano and Leslie Shank, violin. The concert will be followed by a light reception and tours of the Hill House.

An Evening at the Hill House: Music of the Hill Family Era
Date: Saturday, May 10
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Fee: $15/$13 MNHS members.
Reservations: recommended; call 651-297-2555.

The Twins Cities Chamber music ensemble Pavia Winds presents a concert in the restored art gallery of the Hill House. The one-hour concert features music from the early part of the 20th century, when the Hill Family lived in the mansion home. The performance will be followed by a light reception and tours of the Hill House.

Death of the Empire Builder
Date: Saturday, May 24, and Sunday, May 25
Time: 10 a.m. to 4p.m. Saturday; 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday
Fee: $9 for adults, $7 seniors and college students, $6 children ages 6-17; free for MNHS members.
Reservations: recommended; call 651-297-2555.

James J. Hill, known as the "Empire Builder" for his work building a network of rail and shipping lines from the Great Lakes to the Pacific Ocean, died in his Summit Avenue home on May 29, 1916, at age 77. Leaving behind a personal fortune of $63 million, Hill was one of the wealthiest and most powerful figures of America's Gilded Age. Tours will emphasize Hill's career and the public's reaction to his death, and organists will play music used at the Hill funeral which was held at the house in 1916.

The James J. Hill House is closed on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26.

About the James J. Hill House

Completed in 1891, the Gilded Age mansion was the residence of James J. Hill, builder of the Great Northern Railway, and his family. The home is located one-half block west of the Cathedral of St. Paul at 240 Summit Avenue. It is open for regular tours year-round, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 1 to 3:30 p.m. Sundays. Reservations are recommended. For more information, call 651-297-2555.

The Society’s calendar of events is posted online at www.mnhs.org/calendar. The website also has information about all of the Society’s programs, museums and historic sites.

The Minnesota Historical Society is a non-profit educational and cultural institution established in 1849. The Society collects, preserves and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs and book publishing. Using the power of history to transform lives, the Society preserves our past, shares our state’s stories and connects people with history.

The Minnesota Historical Society is supported in part by its Premier Partners: Xcel Energy and Explore Minnesota Tourism.