Feb. 5, 2004 – The St. Croix Landmarks Society kicked off its annual House Tours this week. While you may have missed the first tour, of four homes on the East End, it's not to late to sign up for any or all of the remaining five tours.
Tickets run $25. The final tour can include lunch for an additional $20. The lunch will be served at the home of Richard Harris and John Connor. Tour participants may take the tour, but not stay for lunch.
Buy tickets at Just in Case at the Reef Condos on the East End, at the Buccaneer Hotel general store, at Richards & Ayer {located at 13 Strand St. in Frederiksted), at Schooner Bay Marketplace on East End Road outside Christiansted, at the St. Croix Landmarks Society Museum Store at 6 Company St. in Christiansted, and at Whim Museum on Centerline Road outside Frederiksted.
The Feb. 11 tour highlights four homes in the Carambola area. The tour departs Whim Plantation Museum at 9:30 a.m. It includes stops at:
— All Dogs Barking at Estate River, owned by Charles S. Gay. The house sits at the top of Ginger Hill inside the Carambola Golf Course area. It was built in 1991.
— Annaly Farms at Estate Upper Love. It's owned by Hans and Theresa Lawaetz and was built in 1978.
— Journey's End at Ginger Fancy, owned by Ed and Connie Lemco. The 7,000-square foot house was built in 1986.
— the Estate River condominium owned by Bob and Donna Yaeger. The living room features a wall 20 feet high.
The Feb. 18 tour of four East End homes leaves Canegata Ballpark at 9:30 a.m. It includes stops at the waterfront Estate Cotton Valley home of Jay and Ginny Litty overlooking Buck Island; Michael Princes' Estate Carden Beach condominium, showcasing furnishings bought exclusively on St. Croix; Carol and Harry Salo's Estate Teague Bay condominium, a showcase at Reef Condominiums, with interior by Twila Wilson and Associates; and Andrew Turner's Estate Coakley Bay condominium, also featuring interiors by Twila Wilson and Associates.
Tour no. 4 covers five homes on the island's North Shore. It departs from Island Center at 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 25. It includes stops at: the waterfront Palm Tree Shores in Estate Judith's Fancy, a home owned by the Bauer and Howard families; The Breakers, a waterfront home in Judith's Fancy owned by Robert Garvie, featuring glorious sea views; Sea Breeze at Judith's Fancy, owned by the Jim McKinley family, which sits on the waterfront and has a footpath leading to the beach; Susan and Jerry Sikorski's home in Estate Clairmont, Azure Ridge, which provides dramatic views of the ocean from its hillside perch.
This tour also includes a stop at writer Emy Thomas' Salt River Home. She designed and built the home in 1986. Thomas will be on hand to sell and sign copies of her books – "Life in the Left Lane" and "Home is Where the Boat Is."
The fifth tour covers three homes on the East End. It leaves Canegata Ballpark at 9:30 a.m. on March 3. It visits: Paradise Point, built in 1995 and owned by the Larry Meyer family at Estate Slob South, which was recently featured in Millionaire Magazine; the John and Brandie Puls home at Teague Bay, a beachfront house built in classic West Indian style; and the Estate South Slob home of Larry and Diane Vaughn, featuring an enormous stone and coral wall and an antique Persian rug.
The house tour series wraps up on March 13 with a tour of three homes on the West End. The tour leaves from Whim Museum at 9:30 a.m. It stops first at the Washington Hill home of the Peter Booth family, with a house overlooking Mount Washington, Butler Bay and Ham's Bluff; and the just-completed home of Harris and Connor, Concordia Beach House, which sits on a rocky point with expansive views.
The last visit on the last tour is to the Estate Butler Bay home of Linda Ayer Holt. The antiques-filled house features a framed wedding veil worn by the owner's grandmother.
Call 772-0598 for more information or visit the St. Croix Landmarks Web site.
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