Molly Todd, Kelly Trask and Kathryn Oti of House Story (Photo by Beth Furgurson)
Have you ever driven by an old house and wondered who has lived there through the years, or passed by a home construction project and wished you could see what it looks like inside? Satisfying that curiosity is the idea behind a new house-tour series, House Story, organized by friends Molly Todd, Kathryn Oti and Kelly Trask.
Organizer Oti, an agent with One South Realty, describes the series as “a combination of [local storytelling series] Secretly Y’all and [the architecture tour series] Modern Richmond Tour.”
“The name ‘House Story’ says it all,” she says. “Every house has a story, and the story is different all of the time.”
The tours will range from explorations of historic homes to inside looks at home renovations and quirky and unusual properties. All of the tours will also include a speaker who will share information about the home.
Says Oti, “Our mission is threefold: to entertain people, to educate people, and to provide a networking opportunity for people who are looking for a contractor and designers who are looking for clients. It is a great way for people to connect over things that are house-related.”
House Story’s first tour, on Oct. 11, will feature “Talavera,” constructed in 1838 and one of the first houses built in The Fan. Edgar Allan Poe spent a summer here (it is said he gave the last reading of “The Raven” in the front parlor), and it was once home to spice magnate C.F. Sauer.
House Story co-founder Todd, director of the nonprofit Scrap RVA, is an old-house aficionado with a particular interest in Sears kit houses. She says a North Side kit house will be featured this fall. Tour attendance will be limited, and tours will be advertised via the group’s Facebook page. Tours are free, with a suggested small donation to cover the cost of refreshments.
House Story’s founders hope that once word of the tours spreads, people will share their ideas of homes to feature. “But we will also knock on people’s doors,” Oti says. “I was on the Fan House Tour a few years ago, and I think it is a community service to make people aware of the housing stock and make people aware of what can be done in a house.”
