South Fountain Tour of Homes to spotlight historic neighborhood

A Springfield Victorian-era neighborhood will celebrate its unique homes and the people who live there when they open up to the public for a day.

The South Fountain Tour of Homes will offer visitors a rare look into how the residents of eight houses in the South Fountain Historic District have updated their spaces or put their personal style into them, 1-6 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are available and tours will start at First Baptist Church, 638 S. Fountain Ave. and free church and street parking will be available.

Proceeds will benefit South Fountain Preservation.

Kevin Rose, who has lived in the neighborhood for 20 years, said people move there not just for the historic homes, but also for its connectivity, closeness to downtown and several other factors.

“We’re very proud of our neighborhood and want to share it with others,” he said. “It’s a special place and we love seeing all the people in the street.”

The tours are done every two years and will again have the same basic concept of touring each home to meet the owners, who will share what they’ve done to make the spaces their own and any updates since recent tours.

“Each house has a particular story to tell. There are different ways of living in a historic neighborhood,” Rose said.

The Gammon House, the home that was a stop on the Underground Railroad, will be one of the tour stops and a few others that haven’t been featured on previous tours. Other special features will include Willow Wind Carriage rides, music from Christina Darding’s Elements Music Studio students and Amber Hearst and Clark County Master Gardeners will have historic flower prints on display and for sale.

As much as the architecture, the neighborhood is about the people who live there. Rose, who is a historian, said the South Fountain Neighborhood has been a diverse one for a long time and this is an especially good time to discover it or get reacquainted with it.

“Our character as a community has been tested and we’re excited to do something for the best of the community,” he said. “South Fountain is about all different types of people and that’s why we love it. There are people with very different views and have fought hard to protect it.”

For information on the featured homes on the tour, go to facebook.com/southfountainave.


MORE DETAILS

Tickets cost $15 presale and $20 on the day of the tour. Children ages 12 and younger will be admitted free.

Presale tickets can be purchased at www.southfountain.org/events; at The Peanut Shoppe, 1576 E. Main St.; Schneider’s Florist, 633 N. Limestone St.; Bombshell Beauty Salon, 20 W. Columbia St.; and Healing Homes & Hearts, 509 S. Fountain Ave.

About the Author