The Saint Joseph Symphony is presenting its 2015 Holiday Homes Tour next weekend for participants to tour four homes in St. Joseph decked out for the Christmas holiday and help raise funds for music at the same time.
The fourth annual homes tour will be held Saturday, November 21, 2015, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sunday, November 22, 2015, 12 noon to 4 p.m. Advance tickets are $20.00 each; tickets are the door will be $25.00 each.
Funds raised from the tour will go to benefit Saint Joseph Symphony and its programs.
The four decorated St. Joseph Holiday Homes are The Matles Home, 1209 Ashland Avenue; The Patt and Sherri Lilly Home, 2810 Ashland Avenue; The Historic M. C. Shoup Home, Bill Church and Wendy Eidmann, Owners; and The Edward Hamilton Historic Home, 1423 Francis Street. Docents will guide guests and describe each of the available rooms at the homes.
At the Matles home, built in 2006, guests will enter through a beautiful African mahogany door designed by the homeowner. Above the door is a fan plaque similar to ones found in Williamsburg, Virginia, as a sign of welcome. At the end of the 8-foot by 33-foot entry hall is a beautiful floor medallion with smaller versions in two other rooms. The house has a library with floor to ceiling bookcases, a large master bedroom, two guest bedrooms, a large family room/kitchen, and a dining room that can accommodate a 118-inch table. Unusual artwork and carvings from Indonesia, artwork and natural objects from Bolivia and around the world are featured in this exquisitely decorated home. Breathtaking Christmas decorations include a tall lighted tree in the entry hall, an unusual holiday tree filled with White House and congressional ornaments and a small tree with ornaments from England. This exceptionally designed home will be a highlight of the tour.
Patt and Sherri Lilly’s home was built in 1923 by Isaac and Hortense Hassenbusch. The property itself was part of the historic Miller Farm
purchased originally by Isaac Miller in 1846 from the U.S. government who had acquired it as part of the Platte Purchase. Patt and Sherri moved into the home in May of 2014 after an extensive 6-month interior renovation of the home. The home has been decorated in a casual and elegant style reflecting the architecture of the home. The Christmas décor throughout the house reflects the excitement and wonder of the holiday as seen through the eyes of their five grandsons. This home will delight and amaze visitors. You will not want to miss it.
The Historic M. C. Shoup Home was built in about 1928. The stately Ashland home for years was the residence of MWSU arts professor Robin Findlay where many arts fund raising events were celebrated.
Recent owners made spectacular landscaping changes on the property including a beautiful in-ground pool, gazebo, and rear patio fireplace with walkways. Less than ten years ago, the home was updated with new floors and walls and a beautiful new kitchen which features custom Cairo granite/statuary marble floors and counter tops with a 9 foot island, custom cabinetry by Midland, and wet bar nook. Revamped closets, new bathrooms with Jacuzzi tub, new carpet, and bedrooms wired for flat screens are just a few of the upgrades. Owners Bill Church and Wendy Eidmann will bring new ideas in holiday decorating to this beautifully updated home.
Guests will step back in time and be greeted by a living history character at the Edward Hamilton Historic Home. Early matrons who will
recount living at the 1423 Francis Street home. Mrs. John C. Parkinson, daughter of Missouri Governor, William Stone, will describe her family living in the home from 1912 to 1941. In addition, Mrs. Edward Hamilton, who husband commissioned a remodel of the home, changed the octagonally shaped structure to a Second Empire style building in 1876 will also discuss the home and visit with guests. Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton lived in the home from 1865-1904. According to a 1950 article in the St. Joseph News Press about two of St. Joseph’s then century-old houses, William Harris built an eight-sided octagonally shaped home on a high point of the area at what is now 1423 Francis Street. Mr. Harris came to St. Joseph as the Western frontier was beginning to expand. The Harris Addition, bears his name. Prepare to re-visit St. Joseph’s past in this historically decorated holiday home.
Homes tour tickets are available at the St. Joseph HyVee store service center, 201 North Belt Highway; online at www.saintjosephsymphony.org, the Saint Joseph Symphony office, 120 South 8th, and at each of the homes on the days of the Holiday Homes Tour.