2017 historic high street area holiday homes tour press release · 2017-12-03 · story wings that...

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PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLICATION Petersburg, Virginia’s 2 nd Annual Historic High St. Area Holiday Homes Tour www.PetersburgHomesTour.com A Benefit for Sunday, December 10 th , 2017 12 noon to 5pm Battersea Foundation is a non-profit organization in Petersburg, Virginia. The Foundation’s mission is to preserve Historic Battersea and offer educational, artistic and cultural experiences that inform, enrich and inspire the public. The events held at Battersea offer the perfect opportunity to continue moving forward fulfilling this mission. Historic Battersea is an 18 th century Palladian Villa located on the Appomattox River in Petersburg’s west end. The Villa was built in 1768 by Col. John Banister, the first Mayor of Petersburg, a Revolutionary delegate, a Congressman and a signer of the Articles of Confederation. Battersea is an excellent example of Palladian style architecture, receiving national attention for its beauty and importance. www.batterseafound.org EVENT DESCRIPTION Last year’s Petersburg holiday homes tour to benefit Battersea Foundations was such an enormous success we’re doing it again this year. Join us for a glorious walking tour featuring eight of Petersburg’s oldest and most unique homes located on three streets (High Street, Market Street, and Petersburg’s first street, Grove Avenue) full of historic landmarks. Drive a few short miles down the road and visit historic Battersea Villa, the beneficiary of this eagerly anticipated event. Delight in the live music and costumed reenactors who will add ambiance and authenticity to the holiday atmosphere.

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PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE PUBLICATION

Petersburg, Virginia’s 2nd Annual Historic High St. Area Holiday Homes Tour

www.PetersburgHomesTour.com

A Benefit for

Sunday, December 10th, 2017 12 noon to 5pm

Battersea Foundation is a non-profit organization in Petersburg, Virginia. The Foundation’s mission is to preserve Historic Battersea and offer educational, artistic and cultural experiences that inform, enrich and inspire the public. The events held at Battersea offer the perfect opportunity to continue moving forward fulfilling this mission. Historic Battersea is an 18th century Palladian Villa located on the Appomattox River in Petersburg’s west end. The Villa was built in 1768 by Col. John Banister, the first Mayor of Petersburg, a Revolutionary delegate, a Congressman and a signer of the Articles of Confederation. Battersea is an excellent example of Palladian style architecture, receiving national attention for its beauty and importance.

www.batterseafound.org

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Last year’s Petersburg holiday homes tour to benefit Battersea Foundations was such an enormous success we’re doing it again this year.

Join us for a glorious walking tour featuring eight of Petersburg’s oldest and most unique homes located on three streets (High Street, Market Street, and Petersburg’s first street, Grove Avenue) full of historic landmarks. Drive a few short miles down the road and visit historic Battersea Villa, the beneficiary of this eagerly anticipated event. Delight in the live music and costumed reenactors who will add ambiance and authenticity to the holiday atmosphere.

TICKET INFORMATION

Advance Tickets - $20

Available Online at PetersburgHomesTour.com

Now thru December 9th Purchase at any Battersea Event,

www.batterseafound.org, or at

Petersburg Pickers 110 Guarantee Street

Petersburg, VA 23803 From 9 – 5 Fridays & Saturdays.

Tour Day - $25

Exclusively Available at:

Ammo Brewing

235 N. Market Street Petersburg, VA 23803

from 10am to 3pm

ABOUT THE HOMES

410 Grove Avenue

Circa 1783 Douglas and Marie Vargo

The Baird-Rambaut-LeMoine house was constructed of beaded heart pine by John Baird, who lived next door, for his daughter. The original one and a half story colonial house, with corner fireplaces and an King of Prussia black marble fireplace, sports an 1810 Federal addition with a decorative plaster ceiling and carved arches in the living room. The house was extensively renovated in 2000 and is filled with family favorites.

416 Grove Avenue

Circa 1807 Cherry Turner

Nestled behind two of John Baird’s former properties, this charming dwelling was originally constructed as a kitchen house by Baird. It was expanded into a home around 1908 and renovated in 2008. Cozy warmth describes this charming cottage-like abode, with a large wood-burning fireplace, exposed beams, and stone walls.

514 Grove Avenue

Circa 1834 Walt and Roberta Purcell

Renovated in 2008, this single-family home was once two properties, 514 and 516 Grove Avenue, with living quarters in 516 and a mercantile store in 514. The two-story Tidewater Vernacular design is constructed of bead wood and shiplap siding with a cedar shingle roof. The house retains an original staircase and has an original Petersburg mantle in the living room. The original kitchen house for 516 was completely rebuilt from the foundation up. The property is breathtaking inside and out.

280 High Street

Circa 1867 Thomas B. III and Brenda K. Redfern

The Charles Leonard House, an Italianate, frame mansion, capped with the original belvedere, was built by A.A. Traylor. Purchased by English-born hardware merchant Charles Leonard in the 1890s, the property boasts eight fireplaces and mantles, original floors, and a dominate front staircase. The beautifully landscaped grounds feature the original kitchen house which Leonard converted to servants’ quarters, a Revolutionary era stone wall, and the remains of a prior 18th century dwelling, partially located under the current house.

311 High Street

Circa 1789 Bob and Bobbi Kennedy

Dodson’s Tavern, a frame clapboard Federal/modified late Georgian home was a favorite of last year’s tour. Impeccably landscaped and furnished in rare early American and primitive antiques, the site was frequented by many dignitaries including Robert E. Lee, Marquis de Lafayette, and Aaron Burr. Owned by the Dodson/Pegram families for the first 180 years, design features include a large hearth in the original winter kitchen in the English basement and the detached summer kitchen converted to a guest house.

545 High Street

Circa 1785 Scott and Yvonne Flaherty

This stately, clapboard Federal house, is steeped in Revolutionary War heritage, as one of the owners Erasmus Gill, served as a Captain in the Continental Army under George Washington, and the other, George Hay, was the special prosecutor for America’s first treason trial against Aaron Burr. The house features a huge staircase, and is furnished in a homey comfortable manner. The owners enjoy basking on one of two rear decks, overlooking the massive backyard that’s teeming with native birds of every variety.

244 N. Market Street

Circa 1816 Judge Oliver Pollard

The Trapezium House, is a Flemish bond brick, Federal style, slate roofed trapezoid shaped structure. Built in 1816 by Irish immigrant, Charles O’Hara, the home’s unique shape was conceived from O’Hara’s West Indian servant, who believed it was good luck to have no right angles in a home. Furnished in period antiques, the site serves as an office and art studio for “Buddy” a very accomplished painter.

406 N. Market Street

Circa 1810 Joan Gardiner and Kevin Mullis

This Federal brick dwelling, built as a mercantile grocery, is a superb representation of the current trend of restoring properties to their past uses as both living and working space. The owners, experts in architectural design and repurposing, reside above their antique shop, Market 406. Their second-floor apartment has many original features, including fireplaces, molding, and evidence of prior renovations. The roof deck serves as a gateway to their beautiful outdoor surroundings.

BATTERSEA VILLA

1289 Upper Appomattox Lane

Circa 1768

Battersea is a substantial stuccoed brick house located north of Upper Appomattox Street in the city of Petersburg, near the south bank of the Appomattox River. Even though the 37+ acre property is bordered by a 19th-century neighborhood and a light industrial area, it still retains its historic rural character. The house was built in 1768 by Colonel John Banister, the first Mayor of Petersburg and a signer of the Articles of Confederation. Battersea was designed and built as a symmetrical five-part Anglo-Palladian house featuring a two-story central block, one-story wings that act as hyphens, and one-and-a-half story end pavilions. One-story columned porticos mark the entrances on the front, back, and sides of the house. The plan of the interior reflects the five-part massing of the exterior, presenting a symmetrical single-pile plan with rooms extending to either side of the central block. The designer of the house is unknown. Battersea is one of the earliest and finest surviving examples of a five-part, Robert Morris-style Palladian house form in the United States, and is the earliest surviving, fully developed example of this house type in Virginia. Battersea represents a refined and original synthesis of ideas from Andrea Palladio and Robert Morris, copying neither but reinterpreting ideas from both to meet 18th-century American needs. The five-part house form was a basic manifestation of Palladianism in both Britain and America, which enjoyed popularity in the United States during the 18th and early-19th centuries. Today, Battersea is a rare and unusually sophisticated survival of this form. Some of the finest early nineteenth century Classically-inspired architectural detailing resulted–distinctive in its period expression and craftsmanship–within the framework of the Palladian form. The later work shows a rare understanding of the derivation of the Palladian form and a clear intention to work within the parameters of this style. Battersea is therefore eligible for national significance under Criterion C in the area of architecture.

MAP TO BATTERSEA

ABOUT THE PAINTINGS OF THE HOMES

UK native and resident Phil Lewis painted and donated the delightful renditions of the homes on tour. His industrial style and vibrant, simplistic creations often feature images of himself, his wife, and his pets rambling along canvases of color and L.S. Lowry inspired artwork. Although he has never visited the states, he and his history loving wife, author and artist, Lynne, have fallen in love with Petersburg, through their personal research and over 50 commissioned works he has painted of area sites. Phil’s talent has added yet another dimension to this unique and incredible fundraising event. The above painting of Battersea was auctioned off earlier this year and raised much needed funds for the Villa. The eight paintings of the homes will be on display at Ammo Brewing, 235 N. Market Street during the tour.

TOUR GUIDLINES

• Parking in one of Old Towne’s many free public spaces and lots and walking the tour is encouraged to enjoy the beauty of the properties located along the route. There is also available parking within feet of many of the homes.

• Please wear comfortable, safe walking shoes. Spiked heels are prohibited.

• Dress is comfortable and casual. Please refrain from carrying large handbags.

• The attendance of young children is discouraged. If they attend, they must remain under control of parents and must purchase an admission ticket if they are not in a body infant carrier. Strollers are not allowed in the residences.

• Please no smoking within 100 feet of the residences. • For quick access, please have your ticket ready so you may

show it at the door. • Homes may be visited in any order and you may return to

your favorite if you have time! • The tour is designed for participants to view sites at their

leisure with no formal presentations being given. Homeowners and their friends and family, who are familiar with the properties, will be on hand to greet guests and answer any questions.

MAP OF AREA

Everyone is encouraged to come early and stay late to enjoy the diverse dining and shopping in the area.

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT Enjoy sounds of the season with live music at many of the homes. Costumed Reenactors will be throughout the area.

12 Virginia Infantry American Civil War reenactors dedicated to providing a high degree of authenticity while honoring our ancestors.

Bowl’d Sojer Band

Period music from the 19th century, including traditional fiddle tunes and songs from the American Civil War.

Mikey Fuller Traditional Christmas carols on solo keyboard featuring the sounds of organ and chimes, harpsichord, and chamber ensemble.

Iris Schwartz Festive holiday tunes and seasonal songs performed on solo flute.

The Dale Traylor Band Rock, Folk, Country, and Blues guitar and vocals influenced by Neil Young, James Taylor, Jimmy Buffett, and Bruce Cockburn.

EVENT PHOTOGRAPHER

John A. Rooney, Jr.

THANK YOU Special thanks go out to the reenactors, musicians, businesses, and residents who volunteered their time, their talents, and their homes to make this event possible. We couldn’t do it without you!

HOMES TOUR COMMITTEE

Toni Clark Executive Director,

Battersea Foundation

Kimberly Ann Calos

Mikey Fuller