(From left) House Story founders Kathryn Oti, Molly Todd and Kelly Trask with artist Paul DiPasquale before a January tour of his home (Photo by Jay Paul)
They say curiosity allegedly killed the cat, but the thousands of Richmonders who prowl through homes and down city streets every year in search of design and architectural treasures are healthy enough.
Richmond’s growth over nearly 300 years has created a web of neighborhoods with distinct styles and personas that offer endless appeal to inquisitive neighbors and tourists. Home tours give visitors the chance to openly admire a house’s architectural features or stroll through a dwelling, taking note of the interior layout and appointments. Guided architectural tours draw attention to the structure and detail found in buildings that many residents walk past daily.
One of the areas’ largest house tours, Historic Garden Week (HGW), is held annually in mid to late April. Begun by the Garden Club of Virginia in 1929 as a fundraising effort to save trees at Monticello, HGW offers tours across the state. This year, 29 tours are scheduled over eight days; in Richmond, tours in Church Hill and along Monument Avenue and River Road will happen over three days, with the Church Hill tour conducted in partnership with Historic Richmond.
With average yearly attendance in Richmond alone at more than 4,600 guests, Richmond’s garden club tours are known for allowing guests to visit a spectacular array of private homes and gardens.
“We have an opportunity to showcase all types of architecture and garden design,” says Tricia Garner, HGW state chair. “People see parts of Richmond they might not venture into.”
Proceeds from Historic Garden Week benefit the GCV’s mission of supporting the restoration of historic gardens, the Virginia state park system, and providing fellowships for professionals.
“Many [attendees] tell us they get lovely ideas for their own spaces,” Garner says.
Education is a key element of homes showcased by Modern Richmond, which highlights Midcentury and modern homes in tours that occur nearly every month and during its Modern Richmond Week, held annually in early fall. Co-founder and real estate agent Andrea Levine says the tours speak to people’s desire to know more about those around them.
“As a population, we are always curious as to how people live,” she says. “If you add that to the specialty of modernism or historic or custom, it’s the same reason why HGTV does as well as it does.”
Historic St. John’s Church (1741), the first church built in Richmond, is a featured stop on the 2020 HGW Church Hill tour. ( Photo courtesy Garden Club of Virginia)
The first house tour offered by Modern Richmond took place in March 2009; the organization published a book in spring 2019 celebrating its first 10 years and, in 2017, became a nonprofit.
“We felt there were other things we wanted to do with the organization other than just home tours,” Levine says. “Awareness and preservation were very important, and education is a component.”
“We are always curious to see how people live. … It’s the same reason why HGTV does as well as it does.” —Andrea Levine, co-founder, Modern Richmond
Levine says Modern Richmond maintains a database of approximately 2,000 “modern lovers” who are quick to sign up for tours that range in size from 75 to 200 participants.
“We squeeze as many as are legally allowed in these spaces,” she says, laughing. “We are often waitlisted.”
A newer home tour effort, House Story, which began in October 2017, is organized by three friends who seek to reveal the stories behind houses they find compelling by asking owners if they will open their doors to strangers.
“We’ve had a few people turn us down,” says co-founder Molly Todd. “Most are so excited that we’re interested and curious; they’re proud of their spaces, they’re happy to open up.”
A House Story tour at the circa 1765 Weisiger-Carroll House in Swansboro (Photo by Risa Gomez)
Coordinators Kelly Trask, Kathryn Oti and Todd announce tours at the start of every month via House Story’s Facebook page. There’s no theme other than the chance to see and hear about somebody’s home.
“I don’t know that people [who come] love interior design or architecture,” Todd says. “It’s the same as when people seek out open houses on Sundays; and they’re not buyers. They really want to look in, to see the design features and explore how people use their space.”
Richmonders also have the chance to enjoy a bevy of neighborhood-specific house tours that allow access seasonally. Church Hill and the Fan offer popular winter holiday tours, and the Museum District and Westover Hills schedule their events in the spring.
The Valentine, a museum dedicated to preserving and interpreting Richmond’s 400-year history, includes architectural history in many of its walking tours.
“There continues to be a dedicated audience interested in discovering Richmond’s rich architectural landscape,” says Amanda Vtipilson, adult programs and tour manager. “From the simplicity of Scott’s Addition’s moderne buildings to the grandeur of the neoclassical State Capitol building, our master tour guides include these details and trends to help visitors understand the larger historical narrative. So often, understanding the landscape can open the door to discovering unexpected social histories and intriguing stories that have gone untold.”
“These tours allow us to use the theme of architecture as a way tell broader stories about Richmond, its residents and the history that continues to impact our lives today,” says Marisa Day, student programs and tour manager.
In the end, Modern Richmond’s Levine notes, house tours celebrate beauty.
“People appreciate seeing good design and good architecture,” she says.
