If You Go

What: 2012 Loveland Historic Homes Tour.

When: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday.

Where: Downtown Loveland.

Cost: Advance ticket, $12; day of tour, $15.

Homes on the Tour: 1125 N. Garfield Ave, Depression Era House, built in 1937, vernacular wood-frame architectural style.

Owned by Lynn Kincanon, the home at one time was part of the Tom Johnson farm, which was sold and platted after his death in the 1930s. The land was turned into lots on Garfield and Grant streets.

924 N. Cleveland Ave., Mitchell House, built in 1918, prairie-style, presumably by the Mitchell family, who lived there until 1940.

Michael Eckert purchased the home in 2011 and has spent the past seven months restoring it. He retained the original steam registers, kitchen pantry and decorative leaded glass.

317 E. Sixth St., Swan House, built in 1908, craftsman-style. The home’s namesake, A.M. Swan, built the house and owned Swan and Hill Grocery at 139 E. Fourth St.

In 2001, Harold and Madeline Daniels bought the home and converted it into an antique shop and tearoom.

620 E. Sixth St., Whorton House, built in 1917, Queen Anne style. The home’s namesake, Leland B. Whorton, lived there from 1919 to 1929. Daniel and Megan Tracy now own the home, which has the original front and back doors.

608 E. Seventh St., Richards House, built in 1898, vernacular style. The first listing found in the Loveland city directories was for William Richards in 1907.

David and Linda Jessup — members of the Jessup family that has owned Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch since 1946 — purchased the home in 2000 and call it Celestial Seasonings after the carved shingles and the tea company.

2306 E. First St., Timberlane Farm Museum, built in 1881, late Victorian bungalow style. The home is owned by Louise Gardels and is on the Loveland Historical Register as Historic District.

The Medina Cemetery, built in 1864 off Namaqua Road, also is part of the tour. The cemetery is owned by Jess Rodriguez. The Loveland Historical Society is in the process of gaining ownership of the property.

 

After living in 28 houses in eight different states, Loveland resident Lynn Kincanon found her home — a Depression-era house that she turned from ugly deterioration into a palette of beauty.

In 2001, Kincanon purchased the vernacular wood-frame house and spent the next decade restoring it to its historical charm. She replaced the aluminum siding and overhangs with the original cedar, rebuilt “the old rickety-rackety porch that didn’t meet code,” removed the plastic and metal fixtures and restored the wood floors, she said.

“I think it’s a great home. I’m absolutely in love with my home,” said Kincanon, a professional artist who decorated her home with her and her friends’ artwork. “It’s simple and humble. The art makes it jazzy and pretty.”

Kincanon’s home, which is at 1125 N. Garfield Ave., will be one of six open to the public Saturday during the Loveland Historic Homes Tour. The tour, presented by the Loveland Historical Society as an annual fundraiser, will help celebrate Historic Preservation Month in May.

“It displays how much diversity we have in Loveland,” said Paula Sutton, a member of the Loveland Historical Society tour committee. “It’s nice to see a nice variety of architectural styles.”

Two of the homes are on the Loveland historic register, which is overseen by the Loveland Historic Preservation Commission. The homes include the Swan House and the Timberlane Farm Museum, which is listed as a historic district and includes two farmhouses and outbuildings.

The Loveland Historical Society selects six homes a year for the tour and so far has featured 66, Sutton said.

Homes only need to be 50 years or older to be on the city and national historic registers if they meet certain criteria, such as historic significance, structural integrity and unique architectural style, Sutton said.

This year, the homes date from 1881 to 1937.

“We try to get homes within walking distance,” Sutton said. “The homes are usually downtown, where most of the historic homes are.”

Members of the Loveland Historical Society research the history of each tour home, using newspapers, obituaries and the Loveland Public Library. They knock on doors, make phone calls and use word of mouth to contact the homeowners, asking if they would like to be on the tour to show off their homes, or the owners ask to be included.

“It’s a great opportunity for the community to see what they can do with an older home,” said Linda Stotz, a member of the homes tour committee for the Loveland Historical Society. “Hopefully, it would get people interested to buy historic homes, preserve them and get them listed in the registers and preserve our past in Loveland.”

Last year, 125 people visited the homes on the tour, but this year the Historical Society members are hoping for a turnout of at least 200 people, Sutton said.

“They’re interested in history. They’re interested in historical homes,” she said. “They like to see how someone decorates a historical home.”

The Loveland Historical Society provides volunteer docents to give tours of each home, while the homeowners will be there to provide personal information, such as how they decorated their home and what they have learned about its history.

“What starts as an idea and address ends up in a page in our brochure with a full-page history,” Sutton said.

Shelley Widhalm can be reached at 669-5050, ext. 531, or swidhalm@reporter-herald.com.