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STEUBENVILLE -- A tour from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday will allow individuals to stroll down North Fourth Street and visit 10 of Steubenville's historic homes, with proceeds benefiting local revitalization causes.
The second-annual house tour is being hosted by the Steubenville Revitalization Group, the Harmonium Project and residents of Steubenville's North End neighborhood. Marc Barnes, president of the Harmonium Project, said this year's tour will offer more houses to explore and more causes to benefit, including Harmonium, the Grand Theater Restoration Project and the Poor Players, a Steubenville theater troupe.
Barnes said this tour's organizers are particularly enthusiastic about featuring the Steubenville Board of Education House, 611 N. Fourth St., which is "replete with original woodwork, stained glass and a stunning colonnade and balcony -- though every house offers its own unique charm."
This year's tour will be open-house style, Barnes said, meaning visitors can come and go to the various houses as they please during the given timeframe.
"We want to give older Steubenville residents a chance to step back into the houses that were once the homes of their friends and families -- houses where they may have visited, played or spent holidays -- to see them being loved and cared for once again," Barnes said. "We want to showcase houses in different stages of renovation to inspire others with hope for their own projects. And, we want to give newcomers a chance to see inside these beauties."
Tickets, which must be purchased in advance, are $15 per adult or $20 per couple. Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite under "Steubenville Historic North End Christmas Hour Tour" or in person at the Steubenville Grocery Box, 173 N. Fourth St., from noon to 5 p.m. today and Friday from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. A purchase link also is available on the Steubenville Revitalization Facebook page.
Other houses to be featured include the Means House 217 North St.; Westfall House, 741 N. Fourth St.; Griesinger House, 847 and 843 N. Fourth St.; Garrett House, 813 N. Fourth St.; Cooper House, 723 N. Fifth St.; Grandview House, 848 N. Fourth St.; Beall House, 836 N. Fourth St., and the Aardvark Studios House, 633 N. Fourth St.
The owners contributing their homes to the tour are Scott Dressel, Kyle and Guadelupe Kavanaugh, Joey Bressler, James Means, Marc and Maura Barnes, Terrence McKeegan, Steubenville City Schools, Lou Contumelio and Michael and Megan Boland.
"Visitors are invited to enjoy the architectural charm and rare craftsmanship that holds these century-old structures together, to learn about the Steubenville families who once built them and loved them and to see different stages of the renovation process -- from houses down to the studs to mansions-turned-music-studios, to Scott Dressel's picture-perfect bed and breakfasts," Barnes explained.
The North End's historic homes have largely suffered from neglect and negative renovations since the 1990s and 2000s, Barnes said. However, the neighborhood has been experiencing a recent renaissance, consisting of families and businesses purchasing, moving into and renovating the downtown homes.
"There's a lot of reasons (for the renaissance), each as different as the families who choose to do it. The walkability of the downtown, the beauty of the architecture, the attraction of living in a house over a hundred years older than you -- and one that will remain long after you are gone. For some, I think it is the thrill of a challenge," Barnes added.