Franklin Avery was a surveyor who helped to engineer the street layout for Fort Collins. He was also a rancher, builder, real estate investor and founded the Larimer County Bank. His family's home was built in 1879 from locally-sourced sandstone. The original structure had just five rooms across two stories, but over the years the family expanded it. The family lived in the home until 1962; it was then purchased by the City of Fort Collins in 1974 and it was restored.

Today, visitors can tour the home and explore its grounds. Among the items on display are historic costume collection pieces from the Avery family and local donors. Open houses are available weekly and tours are provided by docents. Visitors generally enjoyed their tours and appreciated seeing what life used to be like in Fort Collins. Their one consistent complaint was that the home is only open on the weekends.

The 1879 Avery House provides tours from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. Tours cost $6 for adults and $4 for children. Reservations are not required, but know that tours are temporarily suspended due to COVID-19. It's located on West Mountain Avenue just west of downtown. Visit the Poudre Landmarks Foundation website for more information.