25 ways the Fourth Ward Holiday Home Tour will have you feeling festive
The first weekend in December, the Friends of Fourth Ward Holiday Home Tour returns for the 40th year. Here are 25 (of many!) reasons you shouldn’t miss it.
(1) If it’s lasted for 40 years in a city as fickle as Charlotte, it’s got to be good.
(2) Fourth Ward is Charlotte’s most eclectic neighborhood, with a mix of glitzy skyscrapers and restored Victorian homes, originally built in the 1800s.
(3) Where else are you going to see a purple house? The exterior of 316 W. Ninth St. is deep purple with green trim.
(4) Get those steps in. The tour is entirely walkable.
(5) The carolers and hand bell choirs will get you in the holiday spirit if you’re feeling sort of “bah, humbug”.
(6) The neighborhood is the closest Charlotte comes to looking like Charleston, S.C. The city has torn down most of our history in the name of progress, but this little enclave remains … and is worth seeing.
(7) Free stuff! Like horse-and-carriage rides, and food and beverage tastings in some of the homes. Nearby restaurants, such as The Asbury and Poplar Tapas, also offer complimentary small bites.
(8) See what a real circa-early 1900s “consumption porch” looks like at 316 W. Ninth.
(9) Your $35 ticket is good for any day during the three-day tour. Buy them in advance here. They usually sell out.
(10) You don’t need a yard. Visit 327 Settlers Lane and notice the three-story townhome has multiple outdoor spaces, including a terrace overlooking Settlers Lane, a balcony with skyline views, and a modern courtyard with a koi pond and cedar-barreled hot tub.
(11) No one is building homes with parlors anymore. The Lyles Sims house (523 N. Poplar St.) has an impressive front parlor that includes an original single-shelf mantelpiece above the often-used fireplace.
(12) Alexander Michael’s, the neighborhood pub, is Charlotte’s version of Cheers.
(13) Discover how many lives one house can have. The Moody residence (311 W. Ninth) was built in 1933 as a quadraplex and, over the years, has been used as an office, an art gallery, and even a speakeasy.
(14) Get some remodeling ideas. The screened porch at 311 W. Ninth was remade with removable screens.
(15) This could be the greatest date night in history. Nearly 20 years ago, two people I know had a blind date at the Fourth Ward Home Tour. They’re married now.
(16) Indulge your inner Gladys Kravitz. It’s not enough to peek in someone’s windows, you want to see all up inside someone’s home.
(17) Are you curious about the neighborhood’s sordid past? A number of these homes were houses of ill repute during Fourth Ward’s long decline.
(18) Keep pounding! Don’t miss 300 W. Tenth St. The owner is a big Panthers fan. The entire home is lined with sports and entertainment memorabilia, and the home office includes signed items by sports and country music legends.
(19) Ho! Ho! Ho! Caryn Lee, whose maiden name was Clause, has an assortment of wooden Santas her mom collected at 316 W. Ninth.
(20) See how people incorporate family history into their décor. The first floor of the Park home (302 W. Tenth) honors the couple’s South Carolina heritage with an antique tool collection from both their fathers and grandfathers, as well as the telephone used to call the doctor when the owner’s dad was born more than 90 years ago.
(21) It’s more than a home tour. “It’s a celebration of urban living,” Beth Walker, the long-time tour organizer, said. “Add in free carriage rides and seasonal musical performances, and it’s a full night on the town.”
(22) Discover how easily you can blend old and new. The Bailey residence (300 W. Tenth St.), a four-level, four-bedroom townhome built in 1981, has two fireplaces that came from the original Hotel Charlotte.
(23) You never know what you’ll see. A self-portrait of Scott Avett, of Avett Brothers fame, hangs above the mantel in the 327 Settlers Lane townhome.
(24) History is alive and well. The Lyles Sims house (523 N. Poplar St.) is one of a few homes in the ward still on its original lot. Eli Washington Lyles originally built the home between 1867 and 1869. It still has the original front door!
(25) Two words: Roof garden.
Order tickets early. They sell out in advance nearly every year. Tickets are $35 each, and available online at fofw.com/holidayhometour.
Photos: Austin Caine
This story was originally published November 10, 2017 at 12:04 AM with the headline "25 ways the Fourth Ward Holiday Home Tour will have you feeling festive."