
In what is billed as the longest-running holiday home tour west of the Mississippi, All-Souls’ Episcopal Church will celebrate its 60th Diamond Jubilee on Saturday, Dec. 3 with this year’s offering of six Point Loma homes. A Saint Nicholas Marketplace, afternoon tea and featured musicians at All Souls’ church are also included in the day’s festivities, which run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. On the tour is a newly-built waterfront “organic contemporary” home, featuring hand-painted canvases depicting the outdoors and hung as wallpaper in the children’s wing, along with a carved queen-size bunk bed. Banisters were created by casting individual bronze leaves and fastening them to one another. Upstairs is a master suite and an expansive outdoor living room with a full kitchen that boasts a sweeping view of La Playa Cove. In homage to the church’s 50th annual home tour, a grand, traditional residence will again be open to the public. This home will be decorated with family holiday items, including a snow “village” and a collection of nativities. A traditional Spanish-style home on the tour was built in the 1920s and featured on the home tour in 1981. Since then, the owner, an interior decorator, has made numerous upgrades, most recently to the kitchen. The home will be decorated lavishly for the holidays. Also on the tour is a recently remodeled Santa Barbara-style home that creates a surprisingly open, airy living environment. Near the entrance is a curbside succulent garden, a small bridge and a large pond. The courtyard features a relaxing fountain. The home is filled with custom architectural features and international accents that reflect the owners’ extensive time abroad. The backyard is a sanctuary, with a relaxing spa and a large aviary. There are more than 20 varieties of banana trees and customized “rain chains” enable the recycling of rain water. Another recently remodeled home is in Craftsman style, filled with family antiques and treasures. There is a stately Torrey Pines tree in the front yard and many fine details including custom “joinery” woodworking and a copper fireplace surround. As a bonus this year, a newly completed “dome home,” dubbed “The greenest house in San Diego,” will be open during the tour. The owner spent the better part of a decade developing the eco-conscious dwelling and said he is proud of the fact that decades from now his grandchildren will be using the same light bulbs that light the home today. From its sky-painted ceiling to its radiant floor heating, the home evokes an emotional response from almost everyone who walks through the front door. Advance tickets for the home tour are $25 and are available online at www.allsoulshometour.net, or by visiting Southern Accents Antiques on Newport Avenue, Walter Anderson Nursery on Enterprise Street or at the Mission Hills Nursery on Fort Stockton Drive. Tickets are $30 on the day of the event and can be purchased at All Souls’ Episcopal Church. The funds raised by the event go to support a variety of compassionate ministries locally and overseas. For tickets or information, visit All Souls’ Episcopal Church,at 1475 Catalina Blvd., call (619) 223-6394, or visit www.allsoulshometour.net.









