The Roulet/McKinney House, built in 1895 as a one-story Queen Anne and converted to Foursquare style in 1924. This was the first home, and my favorite, on the tour. It was purchased by new owners in 2007 and extensively renovated.
The beautiful doorway, with my daughter-in-law visible in the door, along with another wonderful old house across the street!
Lovely woodwork throughout the house.
The Klingner/Conn house, a Craftsman Bungalow home built in 1907. The Klingner family have had a mortuary business in Springfield since the late 1800's.
A beautiful original mural in the dining room, by Oliver Corbett.
The Mayes/Thornton house began life as a typical Victorian farmhouse in 1886. It was "modernized" into an Ozarks giraffe house around 1930.
A lovely claw-food bathtub in an otherwise thoroughly modern bathroom.
Another example of a Foursquare home, this one is the Coover/Hinch house built in 1907.
What a lovely old fireplace and desk on the right. I'm certain I would never stop writing if I had a room like this in which to work!
I love the rich color the owners have painted the porch floor.
The final home on the tour was the one owned by Rose O'Neill, of Kewpie doll fame, built in 1900. It is now owned by Drury University.
A beautifully detailed dormer.
All of the information about the homes was obtained in the ticket book/guide. A couple of the houses had costumed greeters, which was a nice touch and I'm thinking it might be fun to wear a costume myself during the tour next year. The tours were all self-guided, which is fine by me, and there were members of the Midtown Neighborhood Association on hand to answer questions. The only thing I found lacking was historical information about the original owners and their context within the city of Springfield. Otherwise, we thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to tour these homes and the weather was perfect for walking through the historic neighborhood, albeit a little windy! Next year the tour will have a different set of homes opened to the public, and though I shouldn't already be looking forward to next December, I can't wait to do this again. All for the love of history!
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