By Lori Harder
Several neighbors are preparing for the annual Home & Garden Tour, an important fundraising event set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 27. The tour offers a diversity of architectural styles and decor, including a fun “tiki hut” garage conversion.
Long-time Curtis Park neighbors who moved to Crocker Village are opening their new home to tour-goers, bridging the two neighborhoods.
Interesting front yard landscapes and a 1960s Field & Stream vintage trailer round out the sights along a two-mile loop. Bicycle racks will be provided at each location for those who opt to cycle the route. Watch for plein air artists at work along the way.
The homes on tour this year reflect a variety of residences that characterize Curtis Park, built in the era the historic neighborhood was established.
An early 20th-century bungalow illustrates the Arts and Crafts movement, using wood, handmade tiles, carved rafter tails and an abundance of windows to connect with nature. The post-WWI era brought the romance of faraway places that returning soldiers experienced, with revivals of old architectural styles.
One Tudor Revival home, owned by a family with generations of artists, perfectly displays the multiple types of media that can define art and includes a mosaic glass studio and a woodworking shop.
Another Tudor Revival that has retained its historic exterior features a thoroughly modern interior of art and furnishings.
A Spanish Revival home with arched ceilings and lighted niches captures the Romantic era, and the owners have followed the cues of the architecture to aim for an authentic experience.
The “tiki hut” that now fills an original 1920s garage is full of fun and references to adventures overseas.
Classic Model A automobiles once again will parade our streets and tour-goers can picnic at the north end of Curtis Park while listening to live music by Midtown Jazz. Food trucks, picnic tables and chairs will be provided, as well as restroom and handwashing
facilities.
If you are not an SCNA member, a tour ticket discount is a great reason to join. (Join Today) Tickets can be purchased in advance online at Sierra2.org/home-tour, or at the Sierra 2 Center.
Advance tickets are $25 ($20 for SCNA members), and day-of-tour tickets are $30 ($25 for SCNA members). On the day of the tour, tickets can be purchased at the north end of Curtis Park at 26th Street and Donner Way. Docents and volunteers are asked to purchase their discount tickets in advance at the Sierra 2 Center, call Sierra 2, or purchase on tour day.