Preservation of Historic Winchester

It’s that time of the Tour – questions are rolling in! PHW has compiled a list of frequently asked questions and answers over the years which may help you. Do you have a question not on this list? Let us know and we’ll answer your question! You can contact us at (540) 667-3577 or phwi@verizon.net to ask a question or receive clarification.

When are the houses open for tours?
The Preview Party and Candlelight Tour is held on Saturday evening, 6-9 PM, as the kick-off event. The Daylight Tour is held Sunday afternoon, 1-5 PM.

The Bough and Dough Shop hours are different from the Tour hours. The Shop is open 10 AM-5 PM on Saturday and noon-5 PM on Sunday.

Is the event rescheduled for inclement weather?
No, the Holiday House Tour proceeds, rain or shine!

How should I dress for the tour?
Dress for the weather in comfortable, low-heeled shoes for your time outside walking or waiting in line.

Is photography allowed inside the homes?
Please ask the docent at the house in question if photographs are acceptable.

How much is admission to the Bough and Dough Shop?
Admission to the Shop is always free!

Can I visit only one house on the tour?
Yes. Admission to a single house is $5. Pay at the door of the house you wish to visit.

Can I get a discounted ticket to the Saturday tour by skipping the Preview Party?
There is no option for a non-party Saturday ticket at this time. However, all PHW members receive a discount to the Party ticket cost.

Can I receive a refund on unused advance tickets?
PHW will not issue refunds for unused advance tickets. If you purchase Preview Party tickets and are unable to visit all of the houses Saturday night, your tickets are also valid for Sunday’s Daylight tour.

Does the tour sell out?
The tour does not limit the number of visitors for the Sunday Daylight tour. However, the Preview Party is capped between 150-200 people, depending on the size of the Party House that year.

May children attend the Preview Party and Candlelight Tour?
While not prohibited, we do ask that minors are accompanied by an adult. The Preview Party is typically very busy and does not have a set tour like the other homes. It may be overwhelming for small children.

Is any parking reserved for Holiday House Tour patrons?
PHW tries to arrange for parking places in crowded areas and will have signs marking the lots you may use on the day of the tour. Please call the office if you are concerned about parking.

The Home of Tim and Barbara Bandyke
House Chairman Brookie Phillips

A brick wall topped with a wrought iron fence and rails neatly defines the yard of this vernacular Colonial Revival style house on the corner of Pall Mall and Stewart Streets. It is one of the latest structures on this tour with a construction date of 1935. Staying true to the characteristics of the Colonial Revival style this house exhibits the eaves-front symmetrical façade opened by small multi-paned sash windows with shutters. The full front porch with its Tuscan columns and denticulated entablature protects the center hall entry way with transom and sidelights. Inside, the home features several generations of family heirlooms.

After touring the main house, visitors may peek into the circa 1925 Craftsman-style cottage to the rear of the property at 205 West Pall Mall Street for a look at a renovation in progress.

The Home of Joe and Amy Ressa
House Chairman: Mark Lore
House Decorator: Amy Ressa

Between the many Colonial Revival style houses on this street are tucked in delightful eclectic examples of styles popular in the early 20th century, such as this Tudor Revival style home. Built in 1926, the first year of the Apple Blossom Festival in Winchester, this house exhibits the variety of the style with an asymmetrical brick façade defined with a high pitched shingled roof, front half-timber gable dormer and protruding front gabled façade. The round arched vertical board front entry with large strap hinges is decorated with a delicately painted bird in a wreath. Once inside the visitor enters a vestibule with tile flooring and an entry way with a 5-tier wedding cake chandelier, parquet floor and plaster moldings which continue into the living and dining rooms. Since milk was delivered fresh in the 1920s, the kitchen has a small milk delivery cupboard in the wall. In the front of this home are first story small paned French doors which open onto a front patio surrounded by a brick pillar and wrought iron railing.

Thorn Hill Manor
The Home of George and Kim Craft
House Chairman Doug Watson

It is believed that the nucleus of Thorn Hill Manor was built in 1787 by Robert White, Jr. on land acquired from James Wood’s widow, Mary, on September 14, 1786. Mr. White was a private in the Continental Army until receiving a serious wound in 1778, sending him back home to Winchester where he began his studies in law with his uncle, Alexander White. After a stellar legal career he was appointed judge of the General Court of Virginia in 1793. He died in 1831 and by 1840 his home began to be passed down to some of the accomplished families in the area such as Joseph Tuley, who built the Tuleries in Clarke County, William Byrd, son of Colonel Richard E. Bird, W. Alexander Baker, City Council member and city treasurer, and Dr. Monford D. Custer, Jr. The original Federal-style house was probably one room deep, three rooms across and two and half stories high. It is believed that the intricate woodwork, mantel and crown molding in the dining room was carved by Hessian workmen who remained in this country after the Revolutionary War. There is evidence of a fire c.1850 after which the house was rebuilt adding two front rooms, lengthening the center hallway and adding the Greek Revival front door with its transom and sidelights. The grand two-story portico with its full pediment and Ionic columns was added c.1920 by Alexander Baker. In 1952 while Dr. and Mrs. Monford Custer were doing renovations, they came upon a message left by Nathaniel B. Meade regarding troop movements during the Civil War.

The Home of Susu Bearov
House Chairman Sharon Collette
House Decorator Pat Jackson

This house once belonged to Peyton Marshall, Winchester Clerk of the Court from 1940 until 1975. Built in 1910, supposedly by Mr. Marshall’s grandfather, William, it was the first house to stand on this block. Its symmetrical brick façade is opened by 26 sash windows with round arch brick lintels and louvered blinds. On the north and south sides of the house there are 2-story bays, one with slate shingles in the attic gable. In the front of the house a decorative tripartite window in the gabled dormer lights the attic. The full front Tuscan-columned porch with denticulated entablature has a small paneled pediment which accents the entry way to a vestibule opened by a double paneled front door. Once inside, guests are welcomed into a large hallway with a prominent multi-level staircase. The first floor plan is repeated on the second floor. Interesting features of the house are living room pocket doors, a working kitchen that originally had no cabinetry, and a back staircase that climbs from the basement all the way to the attic.

The Home of Gina Sullivan and Steve Surber
House Chairman Tina Marie Scully
House Decorator Donna Kitchin

Look for the large, ancient curb-side sycamore tree and you will know you have arrived at a home that exemplifies the vernacular Colonial Revival style. Built in 1918, when Americans were looking for correct proportions and details from our country’s early history, this brick home epitomizes the symmetrical, well balanced façade so loved by the turn of the century architects. An eaves front shingled roof protects the symmetrical brick façade with its six-over-one sash windows. The full front one-story porch supported by fluted Tuscan columns has a square spindle railing, wrought iron hand railing and brick stairs which welcome the visitor to the first floor center hall entry with transom and sidelights.

The Surber-Sullivan home features original artwork by local artists.

The Home of Wilborn and Martha Roberson
House Chairman: Mary Margaret Wise
House Decorator: Pamela DeBergh

This Dutch Colonial Revival-style dwelling is an excellent example of domestic architecture built along South Stewart Street in the early twentieth century. Likely constructed circa 1905, this two-story, rectangular-plan home sits on a stone foundation, is clad in stucco, and is topped by a gambrel roof with overhanging eaves. An exterior end stucco-clad chimney with a corbeled cap rises at the north elevation of the home. The windows, a favorite feature of the current owners, are set in wood surrounds, flanked by louvered shutters and consist of one-over-one double-hung wood sashes with a distinctive diamond-light upper sash and a single-light lower sash. The home’s front entrance, comprised of a wood paneled door set in a wood surround with diamond-light sidelights and transom, is sheltered by a full-width porch with four Doric columns. Modifications to the home over the years include a modern kitchen addition completed in 2003 by the Roberson family. The warm yellow color of the home’s exterior and the wide front porch welcome guests in the neighborhood.

Tour highlights of the Roberson home include art, furnishings and holiday decorations collected over the years through family and travel.

It’s almost time to buy your advance tickets for the 2013 Holiday House Tour “Stroll on Stewart Street” on December 7 and 8! The homes open for this year’s tour are:

• 110 South Stewart Street, the home of Wilborn and Martha Roberson
• 407 South Stewart Street, the home of Gina Sullivan and Steve Surber
• 409 South Stewart Street, the home of susu Bearov
• 407 South Washington Street, the home of George and Kim Craft
• 704 South Stewart Street, the home of Joe and Amy Ressa
• 800 South Stewart Street, the home of Tim and Barbara Bandyke

The Preview Party will be held in the home of Bruce and Donna Downing, 520 South Stewart Street. The Preview Party House will be open only during the Saturday evening Preview Party and Candlelight Tour.

The Bough and Dough Shop will be returning to the Winchester Little Theatre, 315 West Boscawen Street, this year. Hours for the Shop are:

• December 7, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
• December 8, Noon-5 p.m.

New this year at the Shop is a Free Wreath-making Class on December 7, 10 a.m.-noon. Make two wreaths at this workshop – one for you to keep and one to sell at the Shop. Materials will be provided, but bring your own trimmers and gloves.

Tickets go on sale at our advance ticket sale locations Monday, November 18. Visit any of the following locations during their normal business hours to purchase tickets:

Kimberly’s, 135 N. Braddock St.
Winchester Book Gallery, 185 N. Loudoun St.
The Final Yard, 33 E. Gerrard St.
OakCrest, 126 N. Kent St.
Wilkin’s Shoe Center, 7 S. Loudoun St.
Winchester-Frederick County Convention and Visitors Center, 1400 S. Pleasant Valley Rd.
PHW, 530 Amherst St.

The PHW Office will be open until at least 5 PM Monday-Friday from November 18-December 6 for ticket sales and questions. The office will be closed for Thanksgiving on November 28 and 29.

On December 7 and 8, advance tickets will be sold only at the Bough and Dough Shop at 315 West Boscawen Street during Shop hours.

Ready to order tickets? You may start preordering your tickets now at PHW through PayPal. Prefer to mail a check? Please use this form and return payment to PHW, 530 Amherst St., Winchester, VA 22601.

Advance Daylight Tickets: $20 for adults, $6 for children 12 and under (valid for tours on December 8, 1-5 p.m.)

Preview Party Tickets: $50 per person (valid for tours and admission to the Preview Party on December 7, 6-9 p.m.; tickets may also be used on December 8 ) Looking for the PHW member discount? Please visit the PHW office to take advantage of the special PHW member pricing!

Starting November 18, the house art and descriptions for the tour will be posted in the PHW blog. Stop by every day to read more about the houses open for this year’s tour, or even better, sign up to receive PHW’s blog posts delivered right to your inbox!