Fairmount opens doors to home tour fans May 7-8

by Robert Wedding and Stacy Luecker
Every year a few special homeowners in Fairmount volunteer to open their houses to more than 1,000 visitors who purchase tickets to tour them, view the unique architecture, explore a wide range of decorating styles and enjoy all that Fairmount has to offer for two days on Mother’s Day weekend. This year is no different. Fairmount will host its 34th tour of historic homes May 7-8 from noon-6 p.m. on both days.

This year’s tour features five beautifully restored old houses, a new build in the Craftsman style, two work-in-progress houses and The Space, a Kent & Co. project located in a building that once housed Dalworth Funeral Service Inc. and later Bison Canyon Embroidery.

The houses in Fairmount are as unique as the people who live there, but a common thread is a love for the neighborhood, the houses, and what has become a popular spot to work and play on Fort Worth’s Southside.

Homeowner Melissa Arnold says she fell in love with the Southside four years ago and knew she wanted to live in Fairmount. “The Southside area instantly felt like home,” she said. “I loved the eclectic and artsy feel of the neighborhood.”

Melissa’s house is an example of modern efficiency meets historic charm in the newly renovated cheery yellow bungalow on S. Adams. The house was recently remodeled and taken down to the studs, but Melissa says when she walked inside for the first time that there was something that felt historic about the place. “It immediately felt like home and I especially loved the large covered back porch and quaint attic space upstairs,” she said.

Individuality is portrayed in the house’s interesting architectural lines and details that combine to create a presence that is distinctly Craftsman and American in character. The interior features include reclaimed antique hardwood floors, custom kitchen and bathroom cabinets, historically inspired trim and tile work, solid wood doors, a well-preserved and functioning original wood-burning fireplace, and a spacious but private master suite located downstairs with full-lite patio doors that open to a large cathedral-ceiling back porch.

The house has large, numerous windows that keep it bright and cheery. It has retained the best of its original historic charm with all the conveniences of modern living.

Melissa’s neighbors are just one reason she feels she lives on the best block in Fairmount but is certain most Fairmount residents feel the same about theirs. “Every street and block in Fairmount is unique and special. It’s an honor to share my home during the upcoming 2016 Fairmount Tour of Historic Homes,” Melissa said. “I feel blessed to live in this connected, giving, environmentally conscious, active, growing and revitalizing community.”

Built in 1913 and sporting a brand new coat of paint and a beautiful display of creative garden expertise is Rebecca Guttery’s house at 1936 5th Ave. The exterior of the house is an A-frame style bungalow, a form seen often throughout Fairmount. The house was recently painted gray with turquoise trimmed windows, and a raspberry colored front door greets guests with the stenciled motto “Peace on Earth.” Rebecca’s bungalow and her cat, Goat, are the models for this year’s home tour poster.

The house has transitional Craftsman features outside, and inside large graceful rooms flow throughout the house with wide plank pine floors adding warmth to the space.

Entering Rebecca’s house tells a lot about the creative person who lives there. A unique corner fireplace completely covered in seashells is the centerpiece for the living room. Rebecca carefully glued each shell in place herself. Seashells are also found throughout the house in various other forms as well.

A grouping of antique boxes resting on the fireplace mantle, a collection of dinnerware affixed to a dining room wall, and a beautiful Art Nouveau sterling overlay teapot sitting on the dining room table are just a few of the many items Rebecca has collected over the years. Her favorite piece is a Bavarian carved wooden music bowl. “I bought the bowl at an antique show in London. I love the design and it brings back wonderful memories,” she said.

Like most Fairmount homeowners, Rebecca will tell you that she loves her house and the things she loves most are her front porch and her yard. She enjoys gardening and sitting on the porch in the evening to enjoy the fresh air and watch people walking by. “I should be walking instead of sitting,” Rebecca said.

Taking on a complete house renovation just before home tour, and often completing it just days before the tour, is not uncommon among Fairmount tour homeowners and that’s exactly what Sean and Sara Lynch did. Seeing their bright yellow house with the cheerful turquoise front door at 1601 College Ave. for the first time, no one would imagine homeowners Sean and Sara Lynch hadn’t been settled into their cute bungalow for years.

The couple moved into the house in 2008 and while the house was in good condition it had been a rental property for several years. “We painted the interior and focused on improving the curb appeal of the house,” Sean said. He and his father-in-law built the fence with the help of neighbors. They also built a metal and cedar pergola in their backyard that reflects Sean and Sara’s liking for combining traditional Craftsman style with industrial materials. “The pergola is built of powder coated steel I-beams and cedar lumber,” Sean said. The fence uses heavy gauge metal fence posts with alternating pickets.

Inside the house is a mix of period style combined gracefully with modern touches. A recent renovation added a new master suite and bath and the couple replaced a smaller, outdated 25-year-old kitchen with a larger more functional one. They installed custom period style cabinets, reusing antique cabinets from the previous kitchen to make a beautiful built-in buffet and china cabinet. Period kitchens in Fairmount houses often had these built-in features. The kitchen island sports a countertop made from wood salvaged from a 19th century cotton gin.

An attic conversion, also part of the renovation, adds a private media and play space to the house. Space being an issue, adding stairs was tricky. An artistic stairway leads to the new space off the dining room designed to use minimal space and add visual appeal. The design was inspired by an idea Sara found in a magazine and is made from butcher block.

The couple is thrilled with their new space and feels they didn’t lose the historic feel of the house in the process. “The addition opens the kitchen and provides natural light and space for Liam (their son),” Sean said. “We truly love our home and the Fairmount community.”

Join the Fairmount neighborhood for its tour of homes this Mother’s Day weekend. Tickets are $15 each now through May 6. Online ticket purchases may be picked up during tour hours at SiNaCa Studios at 1013 W. Magnolia Ave. and tickets may also be purchased for $20 each on tour days during tour hours at the SiNaCa ticket booth. Tickets may currently be purchased on the Fairmount website at www.historicfairmount.com as well as at Butler’s Antiques, 2221 8th Ave.; Old Home Supply, 1801 College Ave.; Old Neighborhood Grill, 1633 Park Place Ave. and SiNaCa Studios,1013 W. Magnolia Ave.

Home tour will kick-off May 7 with a parade at 10 a.m. and the tour will begin at noon. There will also be a Texas historic marker dedication May 7 at the Grammer-Pierce House, 2232 College Ave. at 2 p.m. There will be light refreshments and an open house until 4 p.m.

For more information and updates, please visit www.historicfairmount.com and the Fairmount Facebook page at www.facebook.com/historicfairmount.