Historic Home Tour Celebrates 50 Years
The Riverside Avondale Preservation’s (RAP) annual Home Tour presented by David Gray Home Services celebrates 50 years this April. Held Saturday, April 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, April 14 from noon to 4 p.m., the 50th Annual Home Tour gives attendees a gilded view of the most beautiful, well-maintained and historically relevant homes in the Riverside Avondale community. There are 11 properties participating in the Home Tour, all within a two-mile area.
“The long-standing tradition of neighbors welcoming neighbors into their home for the annual Home Tour continues,” said Shannon Blankinship, executive director of RAP. “Homeowners gain a deeper appreciation for their home, and visitors learn about history, architecture and preservation in each property.”
The Home Tour is as old as RAP itself, operating since 1974. Since its inception, it has grown to one of the most recognized and well-attended community events for viewers, homeowners and sponsors alike. The goal of the Home Tour is to elevate historic preservation, restoration, design and maintenance, and to promote homes in the community doing this work. This year’s tour also showcases a “Before” house that is about to undergo significant restoration, viewable during a future Home Tour.
Included in the 50th annual Home Tour are along-the-route activations for patrons to enjoy. The Ixia Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society will be having a plant sale at Native Park on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the Jacksonville Artists Guild is hosting a pop-up gallery of locally made art at the Art House at 1504 Barrs St.
As part of the event, RAP is also hosting a ticketed Twilight Party preview April 11 from 6-9 p.m. With only 100 tickets available, this gathering will be held at the Home Tour’s Feature Home, a stately, 100-year-old, Mediterranean Revival-style residence owned by John and Jan Hirabayashi and designed by Marsh & Saxelbye. This kickoff party features live music, drinks, food and dessert.
To purchase tickets to either of these iconic events, visit riversideavondale.org/events. Guided tours are also available, sold separately through Go Tuk’n and Art Bikes Jax, and include admission.
The Resident News is proud to be a sponsor of the 2024 Home Tour.
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading... 
