On Sunday, May 6, the annual American Association of University Women Healdsburg Homes Tour will feature six historic homes, exemplifying the preservation of Healdsburg’s architectural heritage for contemporary living.
The tour includes a settlement era cottage built in 1864, one of the 10 oldest homes in Healdsburg, which has maintained its architectural integrity with expansion and improvements. A gabled cottage built in 1866 by a then-famed local architecture and construction firm has now been taken in hand by a couple who have restored vintage homes throughout the United States.
A large Queen Anne Victorian built in 1889 did not fare well through decades of renovations, an unpermitted addition and asbestos siding. The current owners had the home reduced to the studs and totally rebuilt into a contemporary Queen Anne to beautifully blend into the neighborhood.
The home next door, also on the tour, is a Queen Anne cottage built in 1903. It was so lovingly and authentically restored by its current owners that it was awarded the Healdsburg Museum’s prestigious Historic Residential Restoration Award in 2008.
The neoclassical bungalow was built in 1909 as one of four “Howard Cottage” rental properties. Its charming original design elements have been maintained, added to by previous owners, and improved upon and upgraded by the current owners.
The most modern home on the tour is a vernacular Craftsman built in 1912-13, located in Healdsburg’s historic district where there is a concentration of well-preserved historic residential architecture from the turn of the 20th Century. This home needed little restoration when purchased in 2015.
The tour is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 6 and begins at the Healdsburg Museum, 221 Matheson Street. Check-in: 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets are $45 in advance; $50 on the day of the tour. Tickets may be purchased at https://healdsburg-ca.aauw.net/, Healdsburg’s Copperfield’s and Levin & Co. booksellers. All proceeds benefit local education and scholarships for women and girls.
