Russell Walk
  As often happens at a Madison gathering, you’re bound to be asked, “So, where do you live?” For most, it’s a simple answer. I’ll usually start with “East side, near downtown,” but when I’m pressed for specifics, a street, “Well, we live on a sidewalk - and in a house,” the conversation gets interesting. As far as I know, there are only three houses in Madison that can choose “Walk” from a street-suffix menu, and we live in one of them on Russell Walk. If you’ve been here, you know it’s a unique urban pocket where garages and driveways don't exist. While that might seem like a modern inconvenience, it actually highlights the intentionality of the "walk." It forces a slower pace and connects us directly to the walkable culture of the Tenney-Lapham neighborhood. Of course, it also means we have to coach every delivery driver on how to find us. Luckily, our packages have only occasionally ended up at creative interpretations of our address. When we first discovered our home, it wasn’t just the location and unique architecture (inside and out) that drew us in; it was the history. Our house is part of a rare “bungalow court” designed by Cora Tuttle, Madison’s first known woman architect. Knowing she was a pioneer in a male-dominated field adds an extra layer of pride to living here. When we told our realtor we were interested in a house with no driveway, she thought we had lost it. But what the house lacks in modern pavement, it makes up for in character, charm, and (miraculously) multiple functional bathrooms - a far cry from the "random basement toilets" we saw in so many other downtown Madison homes. We were thrilled to see the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation feature Tuttle’s work in a recent blog. Before that story, we knew a little about her and her other homes in Madison (in the Vilas neighborhood, and more), and we were thrilled to learn more. We feel like we’re part of a special, almost-secret society of homeowners. Between the rich history of Cora Tuttle’s design and the vibrant community of Tenney-Lapham, we’ve found much more than a unique address; we’ve found our own place in Madison’s story. Read more about Cora Tuttle’s Madison homes here: https://www.madisonpreservation.org/blog/2026/3/30/an-architects-home-cora-tuttle