Imagine what 19th century life must have been like — and how it is in 2011 — when seven private homes including a former church transformed into a fascinating single family home open their doors to the public during the 18th Annual East Row Victorian Christmas Home Tour from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday-Sunday, December 3 and 4 in the East Row Historic District in Newport.
The annual Victorian Christmas Home Tour, a time-honored tradition that for
many repeat visitors signals the beginning of the holiday season, is sponsored
by the East Row Historic Neighborhood Association in the East Row Historic District,
the second largest historic district in Kentucky. The district, which is also
listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has been called “one
of the finest urban historic areas in Kentucky.” In 2008, it was named
by Cincinnati Magazine as one of 15 great neighborhoods in the Greater Cincinnati
area..
Because of its immense popularity, neighborhood volunteers are again offering a Victorian Christmas Tea, a separate event during the same weekend in a beautiful 1883 Italianate home. See more information below.
A portion of proceeds from both events —the Victorian Christmas Home Tour & Tea, — will go Henry Hosea House’s Echo Soup Kitchen, St. John's United Church of Christ Food Pantry and St. Paul's Episcopal Church Food Pantry, all in Newport.
The tour will showcase seven historic homes — three of which have never opened to the public — originally built for the owner of a dry goods firm in Cincinnati, the wife of a railroad agent, a carriage trimmer (a profession that included upholstering, tufting, stitching and binding) and a proprietor of wholesale whiskey.
During the tour, visitors will walk through the Queen Anne, Italianate and Colonial Revival-style homes that feature, among many original historic amenities, wood, marble or slate fireplace mantles — several with Rookwood tiles — along with ornate staircases, original woodwork and plaster crown moldings. While garlands and greenery are hardly needed for the homes, which were selected for their distinctive interiors, exteriors and historic design, the residences will be decorated in their best holiday finery. In addition, visitors can gather great ideas from newly renovated gourmet kitchens, master suites and bathrooms along with spectacular hand painted ceilings and a third-floor artist’s studio.
Among the highlights:
• A stunning 1890 Queen Anne Victorian features one of the finest examples of stained glass in the neighborhood, a window depicting seagulls and a ship sailing through rough waves. The nautical theme continues in the interior foyer and first-floor stairway with small ship’s wheels carved into architectural fretwork and a large mural of a sailing vessel believed to be the work of Covington artist Frank Duveneck. Breathtaking painted interior ceilings, uncovered and repainted by the current owner, three Rookwood fireplaces and chandeliers salvaged from the historic Liberty Theater in Covington are also highlights of the first floor, which is the only level open to the public.
• This year’s “Historic Home-in-Progress,” an 1883 Italianate meant to give visitors a first-hand look at the restoration process, is back for a second year with a renovated kitchen with a tongue-and-groove ceiling and a skylight, an oversized island and a combination of painted and stained salvaged cabinets including floor-to-ceiling cupboards from Mt. Washington Elementary School. During the renovation, the house was transformed from three apartments into a single-family home. The current owner, a university graduate with degrees in architecture and historic preservation, and his family, uncovered plaster ceiling medallions, original pine floors and eight transoms. In the basement, a small room was discovered with a peculiar caged window. Could it be a possible link with Newport’s colorful early-to-mid 20th century gambling era?
• The First Temple Society of Spiritualists, a Colonial Revival church building dedicated by the Society of Spiritualists in 1901, has been converted into a dramatic single-family home. Throughout the two-year renovation, the homeowner maintained as many original features as possible — woodwork, windows, doors, the staircase and wainscoting — and by using antique and large-scale furnishings tried to keep the religious flavor and the drama of the 7,500-square-foot structure and soaring ceilings.
In addition, visitors will tour the former Caretaker’s Residence at the Academy Notre Dame of Providence, a Catholic girls high school designed in 1902 by the renowned architectural firm Samuel Hannaford and Sons. The residence now serves as the East Row Pool & Social Club.
For convenience, a shuttle will make periodic stops along the route during tour hours. Restrooms will be available at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, an 1897 Victorian Gothic structure, and St. John’s United Church of Christ. While wheelchairs may easily maneuver the East Row Historic District, the homes on the tour are not handicapped accessible.
The Sanctuary, 417 E. Sixth St. (at the northwest corner of Monroe and Sixth Streets) is the site for ticket sales. The Sanctuary, formerly the Central Christian Church built in 1897, features three enormous stained glass windows including one dedicated to a former Newport mayor who died in 1911.
Tour tickets are $18 per person at the door and will be available during tour hours at the The Sanctuary, 417 E. Sixth St. (northwest corner of Monroe and Sixth Streets) or at A New Leaf Florist, 413 E. Third Street in Newport.
Tickets may be purchased in advance and are $15 each - purchase tickets in advance online (PURCHASE TICKETS) or at A New Leaf Florist, 413 E. Third Street in Newport. Tour tickets purchased in advance must be picked up at The Sanctuary during tour hours.
Children age 12 and under are free when accompanied by an adult.
East Row Victorian Christmas Tea
In addition to the Christmas Tour, the popular Victorian Christmas Tea will
be Saturday- Sunday, December 3 and 4, in a beautiful1883 Italianate home, which
will be altered into a cozy, Victorian tearoom. Guests will be treated to a
traditional savory-sweet English High tea. Tiered trays of homemade tea sandwiches,
scones with jam and clotted cream, and assorted cakes, quiches, tarts and cookies
will be served along with pots of high quality teas brewed in china teapots
borrowed from homes throughout the East Row neighborhood. Tables will be draped
with beautiful cloth and lace table linens, and set with mismatched china plates
and teacups.
The setting is the spectacular home originally built for Charles Wiedemann, the son of George Wiedemann Brewing Co. founder George Wiedemann Sr. Formerly divided into nine apartments, the 6,000-square-foot home was returned to a single-family dwelling, with the owners ripping out apartment walls, all the bathrooms and kitchens, and removing the seven-foot dropped ceilings, which hid12-foot ceilings that were decorated with remnants of ornate plasterwork, which craftsmen restored.
Seatings are at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. both days. Tea tickets are $25 per person. Advanced tickets are available online only (PURCHASE TICKETS). Tickets are very limited so we suggest you purchase early! If there are any seats remaining, they will be sold prior to each seating. Please call 704-965-7228 for availability of any remaining seats for the Tea. The Sunday, 1:30 pm, seating is SOLD OUT.
NOTE: Tickets for the Victorian Christmas Tour and the Victorian Christmas Tea are separate.
Any remaining Tour tickets may be purchased at The Sanctuary or A New Leaf florist on the days of the tour.
Directions to the The Sanctuary: From I-471: Take Exit 4 West (KY 1120 -10th
Street). Continue West to Monroe Street. The Sanctuary is located at 417 E.
6th Street, on the northwest corner of Monroe and Sixth.(Map
to The Sanctuary)
Visitors may park at Newport on the Levee. Free parking is also available at
the lot between Fifth and Sixth Streets and Washington Avenue or at St. John’s
United Church of Christ parking lot at Fourth Street and Park Avenue. There
is also limited on-street parking.
