Holiday House Tour

2401 East Broad St., St. John’s Church Parish Hall.

Up the steps and to the right of Historic St. John’s Episcopal Church. The building now used as the Parish Hall was built in 1876 as a Sunday school. The meticulously restored parish house serves as a museum with photos and artifacts of the church and the church’s graveyard. It is the first stop on the tour.

Pick up online-purchased will-call tickets, or purchase tickets on the day of the tour. The tour stops can be visited in any order, and trolleys service all tour destinations.

215 North 25th St., St. Patrick Catholic Church.

It is said that St. Patrick Church had its beginnings as a sailor’s chapel down by the river. With the growth of Richmond’s Irish population, especially laborers building the James River and Kanawha Canal, the need for a Catholic Church in Richmond’s east end grew. The present church was built in 1859 in the Gothic Revival style. The elaborate curved staircase with its cast iron rail is said to have been built out of the same granite as the canal. The design of the façade features robust brick work with a buttressed tower at the entrance. Refreshments will be served in the Social Hall.

2711 East Grace St., Beth Rutledge and Tim Morgan, Owners.

Built in 1906 in the Queen Anne style with classical detailing. The house, constructed of tan brick with rusticated stone sills, belt course and
continuous lintel above the second story windows, features a unique round bay with a domed turret topped with a finial. Below the cornice is a mouse-tooth band of brick above the rusticated stone lintel. The full façade porch has delicate Ionic columns set on brick piers with rusticated stone caps. The entry bay is approached by wood steps and features a projecting pediment. The entry door with its sidelights and transom is recessed in an arched opening. With a few minor variations, it is a mirror image of 2718 across the street. A full restoration was completed in 2022. Both this home and its mirror image were built speculatively on vacant parcels among earlier structures. Liston W. Smith, a carriage manufacturer at 16 South 17th Street, first lived in the house.

2718 East Grace St., Natalie Straub and Mike Garrison, Owners.

Also built in 1906 by the same speculative builder as 2711 E. Grace St., the two houses are very similar in their materials and massing but 2718 East Grace is slightly more elaborate. Like its twin, it features a round bay with a domed turret. The Neoclassical porch has slender Doric columns on brick piers, a pediment at steps, and a turned balustrade. The entry door is topped with a transom and flanking narrow window. Above the entry bay is a pair of tracery windows with an arched head, decorative brick architrave. Above the window is a pedimented wall dormer with a Gothic arch tracery window. The façade and first bay of the east elevation are constructed of tan brick with rusticated stone accents. The remainder of the east elevation is constructed of red brick and features double porches. This home also completed a full restoration in 2022.

North 29th St. and Libby Terrace: Libby Hill Park Viewshed, The View That Named Richmond.

The view of the James River from this spot is the same view experienced by indigenous people before 1750 and by English settlers who established the city of Richmond, and all those who preceded them. Today we can enjoy the same view thanks to tireless advocates and smart urban planning. Historic preservation and urban development can co-exist successfully. Open the audio tour here or via the QR code posted at the site to learn how this victory was accomplished and see that this view will remain into the future.

3014 East Broad St., Lorri and Dan Montgomery, Owners.

Built ca. 1900, this house is a two-story Victorian-style home with a 3-sided projecting bay topped with a gable roof with a broken pediment and Gothic arch window. The bracketed cornice wraps three sides of the house below the shallow, hipped roof with a cross gable projection on the east side. The Neoclassical porch has fluted Doric columns set on paneled piers and a turned balustrade. The recessed entry door and transom are surrounded by fluted column architrave.

521 North 31st St., Alli Morris, Owner.

Built ca. 1910, it is one half of a frame Victorian double house. The two-story, three bay house has a full façade front porch with turned posts and delicate corner brackets. The balustrade and front door are modern replacements. The Victorian frieze features brackets, decorative sawn vents, and dentils.

324 North 27th St., Second Bottle.

This Classical Italianate building was erected in 1886 and was occupied for many years by William H. Bourn, grocer. He also operated a wood and coal business across the street. The retail portion was renovated in the mid-1900s to reflect the most current international taste of the day with a pure mid-century modern facade. The melding of the two iconic architectural styles speaks of this building’s multi-faceted character besetting its long life. In the 2013 restoration, the architect chose to highlight the diversity of the building’s varied life, bringing a new level of design to the burgeoning Church Hill neighborhood whose engaging history, vibrant citizenry, and charming ambiance are the natural inspiration for his work. Be sure to see the newly-added mural on the East Marshall Street side of the building. A neighborhood wine and snack shop, Second Bottle is a refreshment stop on this year’s tour.

2318 East Marshall St., Dez and Lee Turner, Owners.

Completed in 2023, this home is a sensitive infill on a block with a handsome Eastlake Row to the west and three mid-nineteenth century houses to the east. The narrow, three-bay brick townhouse is set on a high foundation. The house features simple details such as a metal awning over the front stoop, cast stone lintels over the windows, and decorative soldier course bands below the first- and second-story windows and at the cornice.

312 North 23rd St., Ben Greenbaum, Owner.

This home is one half of a brick, Victorian double house built in 1888 and first occupied by Captain Charles Rady. The first story features a triangular bay and highly detailed Queen Anne porch that mimics the angle of the bay. The porch features turned posts, brackets, and a spindle frieze. The second story windows are topped with label lintels, reminiscent of the Italianate style. Like 2711 and 2718 East Grace there is a unique band of mouse-tooth brick below the ornate cornice composed of brackets, dentils, modillion blocks, and sawn vents.

2109 M St., Rachel Pater and Jessica Powers, Owners.

A recent addition to the neighborhood, constructed in 2016. The two-story, three-bay, frame house has a full façade porch with turned posts and a picket balustrade. There is a simple bracketed cornice which compliments the Italianate houses in the district. It is slightly recessed from its attached neighbor to fit the irregularly-shaped lot. A nice example of how a recently constructed fill in home compliments its early 20th century neighbors.

525 North 21st St., Gaelyn Elliott Young Krickovic and Travis Krickovic, Residents.

This home is one of six houses built in the 500 block of North 21st Street by Solomon Haunstein in 1859. The two-story, two bay, frame double house is set on a high brick foundation, possibly the result of street grading that “skyed” houses above the new grade. This is not an uncommon occurrence in the Union Hill neighborhood. The pair of houses share a large central chimney and are separated from the adjoining pair (521-523) by a sally port. The entrance portico is an early addition to the dwelling with high stairs, turned posts, and simple brackets.

Dear Neighbor, 2415 Jefferson Ave.

Built ca. 1902 as a modest, one-story, frame, commercial building. It was first occupied by R. L. Gary and then Joseph Komerek, both of whom were shoemakers. After years of neglect the building was renovated by the current owners. A female-focused lifestyle shop that carries luxury gifts, apparel, lingerie, and fine jewelry, Dear Neighbor is a refreshment stop on this year’s tour.

308 North 24th St., Richmond Fire Station Number 1.

The oldest firehouse in Richmond includes a collection of antique fire equipment, including the first horse-drawn fire truck owned by the city. Across North 24th Street, the Old Dominion Model A Ford Club displays its collection of cars manufactured from 1928 through 1931.