SAVE THE DATE! Carols by Candlelight 2012 Houston Heights Association Holiday Home Tour
Six Houston Heights Neighbors Open Their Homes on Friday, November 30, and Saturday, December 1 Patron Party is set for Thursday, November 29
BUY YOUR HOME TOUR TICKETS NOW Tickets available online until 5pm, Thursday, Nov 29. BUY YOUR PATRON PARTY TICKETS NOW Tickets available until noon, Thursday, Nov 29.

Buy your tickets now for “Carols by Candlelight,” the 2012 Houston Heights Association Holiday Home Tour, set for Friday, November 30, and Saturday, December 1. Six Houston Heights neighbors will welcome visitors into their homes that will be all decked out for the holidays.  

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

We are gearing up for a fun-filled weekend and we need your help! All volunteers receive a complimentary tour ticket and the chance to help your neighborhood raise funds for the Houston Heights Association. If you are new to the neighborhood, this is a great way to meet your neighbors and get involved!  To sign up for a 3-hour-shift, please contact us at holidaytour@houstonheights.org or 713.861.4002, x7. 

THE TOUR

The tour provides a rare opportunity to look inside these unique spaces that reflect the rich Houston Heights architectural tradition and the personalities of the homeowners.  

Houston Heights Neighbors and their Homes:

·       John and Diedre Reed, 606 East 8 ½ – Traditional Louisiana cottage filled with antique furniture and unique collections, including blue and white Delftware.

·       Alyssa Parrish and Michael Bublewicz, 528 Arlington – Renovated 1920s cottage nominated for a HHA Community Improvement Award.

·       Marisa and Gavin Hurd, 946 Arlington – 1894 Queen Anne Victorian cottage, updated and expanded in 2010.

·       Brad and Shireen Wise, 433 West 24^{th –}  1915 Craftsman Bungalow listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

·       Shana Ross and Mary Beth Reuter, 1008 West 15^th – Contemporary design with stained concrete floors, exposed ductwork, and framed by the large canopied trees, so prevalent in the neighborhood.

·       Adolphus and Celisa Pressley, 1522 Alexander – 1920s Bungalow restored to create an eclectic style using reclaimed materials and furnishings.

See below for detailed home descriptions.

CAROLERS AND MUSICIANS

The experience will be complete with the joyous sounds of carolers and musicians at each home and at the Houston Heights Fire Station & City Hall, 12^th and Yale, where local food trucks will be available for visitors to enjoy. 

SHOPPING AND DINING

The tour has become a favorite seasonal destination, where visitors may also enjoy getting in some holiday shopping in the many antiques and vintage clothing shops, art galleries, and eclectic boutiques. There are coffee shops for a relaxing break, and fine dining at world-class restaurants in the area.  See our listing of HHA business members at www.houstonheights.org/businesstype.htm.  

HOLIDAY HOME TOUR HEADQUARTERS

Houston Heights Fire Station & City Hall, 107 W. 12^th Street at Yale, Houston, Texas 77008.  Ticket sales, parking, the shuttle stop and food trucks will be located here during tour hours, in addition to entertainment by neighborhood carolers.

TOUR HOURS

Friday, November 30, 6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 1, 3:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. 

TICKETS & OTHER INFORMATION

Advance tickets are available online now and will be available at the following Houston Heights locations beginning approximately October 31.   

Another Place in Time, 421 W. 11^th Street
Buchanan’s Native Plants, 611 E. 11^th Street
Davis Hardware, 1028 Studewood
Jubilee, 321 W. 19^th Street 

Tickets will also be available during tour hours at the Holiday Home Tour Headquarters and at each Holiday Home Tour home. 

Tickets are $20 in advance for all six homes or $25 on tour days. $5 per-home tickets may also be purchased during tour hours at those particular homes. Bundles of 10 tickets are available online now for $175 through noon, November 29. 

FREE SHUTTLE BUSES will operate during the tour on both Friday and Saturday. Patrons may board the shuttle buses at the Holiday Home Tour Headquarters, where parking is available. 

THE PATRON PARTY is an annual festivity that will take place Thursday, November 29, 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. at 941 Cortlandt, the beautifully redesigned and renovated 1920s bungalow home of Leann Mueller, this year’s Holiday Home Tour Executive Chair. Entertainment will be provided by modern classical group WindSync, Ensemble in Residence with Da Camera of Houston Young Artist Program. Tickets are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Individual tickets are $125 and include an exclusive preview of the Homes on Tour from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available now by visiting the Patron Party link above. (There are no shuttle buses for the Patron Party.) 

For more information, inquiries may be made by leaving a phone message at 713-861-4002, option 7, or by e-mail to holidaytour@houstonheights.org.  

PROCEEDS

The Houston Heights Association (HHA) is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit civic organization which promotes and fosters friendship, goodwill and community spirit within and around the Houston Heights. Proceeds from the HHA Holiday Home Tour go directly into the community for beautification, restoration, and maintenance of the Heights Boulevard esplanade, Marmion and Donovan Parks, and the historic Houston Heights City Hall & Fire Station.  Additionally and among its many other endeavors, the HHA supports educational activities for local schools and schoolchildren, and promotes local businesses 

The HOUSTON HEIGHTS is the fabulous and festive

destination choice of the season!

HOUSTON HEIGHTS ASSOCIATION

WINTER SPONSORS*

PLATINUM SPONSOR

GOLD SPONSORS

Jan & Christine Spin

SILVER SPONSORS

Fiesta Mart Inc.

BRONZE SPONSORS

Rita & Jerred Blanchard

Boulevard Realty

Coldwell Banker United, Realtors

Whitestone Builders

*as of 10/19/2012

MORE ABOUT THE HOMES ON TOUR

Carols by Candlelight, Friday, Nov. 30 & Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012 Houston Heights Association Holiday Home Tour

The Reed Home
606 East 8 ½ Street

Step inside this 2001 traditional raised Louisiana cottage and you’ll instantly feel the warmth of a well traveled Southern couple who love the charm of the Heights. Built on the site of an old lumber yard and sign painting shop, Diedre and John created a traditional home filled with antique furniture purchased while living in The Netherlands. Their unique collections of blue and white Delftware, Staffordshire figurines, and Transferware blend beautifully with their Mississippi family heirlooms. A ground-level master suite and loggia, with views to the formal gardens and pool, boasts a beamed ceiling of reclaimed wood from a Heights house, antique white oak doors and a unique door surround that was salvaged from New Orleans’ Mercy Hospital after Hurricane Katrina.
 

Parrish/Bublewicz Home
528 Arlington Street

It’s easy to see why this recently renovated home was nominated for an HHA Community Improvement Award, with its expansive gourmet kitchen. That’s what convinced this professional couple – Michael, an ER doctor, and Alyssa, an attorney –  that this was the Craftsman style house for them. Married at All Saints Catholic Church in the Heights and already homeowners in the neighborhood, they were looking for a cook’s kitchen to host large family holiday gatherings centered around Michael’s Polish heritage. He emigrated to America as a child, with his parents and brother, escaping communism and seeking asylum. Alyssa said, “Now making Pierogis, a traditional stuffed dumpling, around our 8 x 8 foot honed black granite island has become a holiday tradition for both sides of the family!” Previously a two bedroom 924 sq ft 1920 pyramid-roof cottage, it’s now a 2,942 sq ft family home, complete with 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.
 

The Hurd Home
946 Arlington Street

Built in 1894, this lovely Queen Anne Victorian was recently updated and expanded for a couple on the go and their two young boys.  The homeowners transformed what was once a small cottage into a spacious dining room plus open country kitchen and family room downstairs, while adding bedrooms to a new second floor. Native Houstonians, Marisa and Gavin, chose various soft pastel wall colors throughout, while decorating with family antiques and art.  From the original wraparound porch with spindle columns to the screen porch overlooking the backyard swimming pool, the homeowners now enjoy their traditional 4 bedroom 4 1/12 bath home central to all the activities the family likes to do in the neighborhood. The homeowners, who met while tubing down the Guadalupe River, are an active family enjoying all that the neighborhood has to offer. “Besides biking, walking, jogging and shopping with our two boys throughout the neighborhood, we enjoy attending Mass at All Saints Catholic Church, just a block away.”  
  

Wise/McCollum Home
433 West 24^th Street

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, just three families had occupied this one-of-a-kind Craftsman Bungalow until Brad Wise purchased the 2 bedroom 1 bath home in 2009. Originally owned by D.C. McCollum, a local teacher who purchased the home in 1915, this gem features dark stained wood trim, original cross beamed ceilings, bay windows, and wrap around porch. Staying faithful to the original architectural style, Brad expanded the space with a new cook’s kitchen and wine nook, a family room decorated in earth-tone colors, and master suite and home office – but not before the original house was moved forty feet forward in order to make room for the new addition!  Newly married in 2012, Brad and his bride Shireen, who first met each other at a neighbor’s party in the Heights, are looking forward to hosting holiday gatherings for friends and family in the years to come.    
 

Ross/Reuter Home
1008 West 15^th Street

Shana Ross and Mary Beth Reuter have called the Heights area home for more than 25 years. Originally searching for a bungalow in 2007, the gals were just not finding a fit until they walked through the front door of a two year old contemporary home with stained concrete floors, exposed ductwork and a casual open floor plan that would allow them to kick back from their work as co-owners of Shana Ross Fitness in the Heights. “The muted green exterior color and the way it’s framed by the trees, fits the house to the lot instead of the other way around,” stated Mary Beth. Inside, the eclectic furnishings include a family painting purchased with green stamps and a beer label collection from WWII. Recently leading a climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro, these adventurers are always eager to get back home. Mary Beth says, “We love the diversity of the neighborhood and the fact that when you walk or ride the bike path, people nod and say hey.” Shana adds, “That’s why we choose to live and work here. I can’t imagine living anywhere else in Houston.”
 

The Pressley Home
1522 Alexander Street

Despite the fact that the neighbors and most of his family thought the 1920 dilapidated bungalow should be torn down, Adolphus Pressley, a sergeant with the Texas Rangers, had a vision to create a family home for his wife, Celisa, and their two children when he purchased the home in 2008.  Acting as his own contractor, Adolphus began an ambitious plan to create a two story 3 bedroom 2 ½ bath family home with two living areas and media room, or ‘man cave’ as Adolphus likes to call it. Adolphus and Celisa were resourceful in their quest to create an eclectic style that reflects their philosophy of using reclaimed materials not only to build the home but to furnish it as well. The two claw foot tubs (one found in a vacant lot), the long leaf pine wood floors, and every interior and exterior door were all salvaged from Heights homes and businesses. Said Celisa, “we even found our living room loveseat by the side of the road and simply had it reupholstered locally.”

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Photo credit: Michael Ramos of Ramos Photography. 

FOR HIGH-RESOLUTION PHOTOS of all the homes on the tour, please contact Susan Love Fitts at 936-597-8825, susan@susanlovefitts.com.  

MEDIA CONTACT
Susan Love Fitts Communications
936-597-8825; susan@susanlovefitts.com