By Karen Kenyon
SDUN Reporter
This is one of five historic homes you can tour during South Park’s Old House Fair (centered around 30th and Beech Streets) on June 19 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Admission to the 12th annual tour is $20.
As you enter the home you feel you are stepping into the past.
Furniture that is roughly from the period fills the rooms, as well as artwork garnered from travels, estate sales and consignment stores.
The air feels cool and fresh inside, testament to the design that allows breezes and soft light in. Ample windows offer an indoor/outdoor feeling.
Original cabinetry in the kitchen, as well as a built-in ironing board and California Cooler (an area in the cabinet wall where cool outside air kept perishables from the day’s heat), give the visitor a feeling that the first lady of the house may walk in dressed in her 1920’s flapper attire at any moment.
A perfect glass skylight with crawl space throws light onto the hall area where bedrooms meet. This feature was hidden in the past by a low ceiling of acoustical tile.
Unique stenciling on one bedroom floor is reflective of the era when the home was built.
Gradually letting the charm of the old house live again is a goal of the present owner. “I want to keep it old, simple and natural,” she says.
Another house on the historic home tour is an Irving Gill home (Prairie style, built in 1908 and considered one of the earliest Irving Gill homes). Three other old homes are in “hidden corners” of South Park east of the festival intersection, including one inspired by Greene and Greene architects and their Gamble House in Pasadena. In addition, three of the houses on the tour are examples of homes with significant additions that have been remodeled without compromising the architectural integrity.
Addresses of the homes, along with descriptions and maps, will be available on the day of the event.
This is a rare opportunity to see some of these large historic houses up close and personal, and also to just relax and stroll or bike through a neighborhood that time hasn’t forgotten. A thriving neighborhood, South Park is home today to artists, professionals, young families, singles and seniors. The area’s large, old Spanish- and Craftsman-style South Park homes built between 1906 and the 1930’s hold much of San Diego’s history.
In addition to the home tour, most of South Park’s 40 businesses will be open, as will the neighborhood’s coffeehouses and restaurants, including Station Tavern & Burgers, which won the Grand Orchid for architectural design in 2009. Studio Maureen will feature a dog-themed art exhibit and pet rescue adoption booths.
The fair will also include a street festival with more than 70 exhibitors, vendors and resources for those who own or love old homes. An “Ask the Experts” booth will feature members of SOHO (Save Our Heritage Organisation), who will answer questions.
Self-guided bike and walking tours will be available with a guarded bike corral for storing bikes. Maps will be on hand at Thomas Community Bike Shop, 1635 Fern St., or Studio Maureen, 2963 Beech St. Guided walking tours will be at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., including one focusing on South Park sidewalks and another on South Park’s history. A guided trolley tour ($5 adults, kids free) will depart from Grant’s Marketplace, 2953 Beech St., every hour between 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Music will also be part of the day – jazz and classic rock.
A 44-page resource guide will be free at the information booth for all the 2000 visitors expected.
For tickets and more information, go to theoldhousefair.com.
