Grand Avenue is home to some of the most historic homes in the Cedar Falls area. This area was originally owned by the Rownd family from 1850-1908. This land sat undeveloped until 1908 when Luther Edwards saw an opportunity and took it! This area was aptly named Cedar Heights because of the many cedar trees and the height of the bluffs into the river. Cedar Heights didn't become part of Cedar Falls until 1935. This historic event took place just down the road at Lookout Park which overlooks the Cedar River.
Though Grand Avenue now looks different than it's original state, there are still many things that can be seen that take you back to what this looked like 100 years ago. The tight side streets are a reminder of the changing history, the columns that line some of the streets are reminants of the field fences built by families, and the General Store (now apartments located at the corner of Grand Avenue and Park Avenue) was once located where the trolley would stop between Cedar Falls and Cedar Heights.