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Photos from the Church Hill House Tour 2006
12/18/2006 11:05 AM by John M
On a warmer day than last year, the 2006 Holiday House Tour was again a wonderful neighborhood experience.
9 North 30th Street (built 2000)
500 North 29th Street (award-winning)
616 North 27th Street (built 1840s/1850s)
719 North 33rd Street (1920)
2117 East Marshall Street (circa 1889)
2308 East Broad Street (1818)
2309 East Broad Street (1818)
2520 East Franklin Street (maybe the oldest home on Church Hill, recently celebrated 200th anniversary.)
2605 East Broad Street (1889)
2617 East Broad Street (1901)
3500 East Clay (1910)
There are more pictures from the tour and the season in the Church Hill flickr pool.
I just happened to come across this site as I was searching for a Church Hill Holiday House Tour website. Having been a guest in several beautiful Church Hill homes, I was very excited to hear of the Holiday House Tour. So, several friends and I attended the event.
I have attended Holiday House Tours throughout the city as well as the country. I’m always delighted to see the fine homes featuring extraordinary renovations, fine furnishings, and beautiful holiday decor. A “Holiday” House Tour usually evokes those sort of expectations.
At the risk of sounding critical and judgmental (which is not the intent here), I was disappointed with most of the homes presented on this tour. My friends and I were tempted to ask for a refund. Most of the homes featured were certainly not “Tour” calibur.
As a design professional, very few people are impressed by average. The majority of the homes featured fairly basic renovations, mediocre design elements, and less than inspiring “Holiday” decor.
I offer a few points of advice for the planners of this $20. per head event.
* Be more selective of the homes being presented. Solicit examples of the finer homes in the area. Nobody is delighted to pay to see a home in need of renovation!
* Set expectations for the participants that their homes are at their festive best.
* If average homes are presented, the “Holiday Tour” should be appropriately promoted as an “Open House”.
Not being aware of the semantic differences between a Holiday Tour and an Open House, we had a wonderful time. Thanks to everyone for opening their homes to us. I love seeing how the old houses are layed out and and built, and how some pieces have been renovated and some not. One of my favorite moments was stepping out on a porch behind Broad Street and seeing a beautiful garden that I never new was there before.
I second John’s sentiments. It was great to see how these old houses were constructed and adapted over time. The grotto under the East Franklin house was particularly fascinating. One would never see that in a McMansion.