House & Garden Tour 2018
Between the Avenues: East & Park
June 9 and 10, 2018 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Our 48th Annual House & Garden Tour will again treat us to many magnificent homes and civic buildings, this year between Rochester’s most prestigious boulevards, East & Park Avenues.
Advance ticket sales, both online and through our office, have closed; tickets will be available at Tour Headquarters (the Rochester Regional Joint Board Building, 750 East Avenue) starting at 9:30 AM and at Parkleigh (215 Park Avenue) during their open hours on each day of the tour (Saturday, June 9th & Sunday, June 10th), until sold out – we do anticipate a sell-out, so act early. All day-of ticket sales are $35.
Tickets purchased in advance can be picked up on the days of the tour at Tour Headquarters (the Rochester Regional Joint Board building, 750 East Avenue), starting at 9:30 AM.
Tour Details
Tour Headquarters the days of the tour will be at the Rochester Regional Joint Board building (750 East Avenue).
The Tour is open from 10 AM to 4 PM, Saturday, June 9th and Sunday, June 10th, and is self-guided, with hosts at each property. The ticket admits you to each property one time. They may be visited either day in any order, at your convenience.
If you were an up-and-coming family in the late 19th and early 20th century, between the avenues was the place to live. The streets connecting Park and East offered the chance to have an address in close proximity to the fine mansions of East Avenue. On this tour you will get to see how high society lived on East Avenue and the fine craftsmanship of the homes on the connecting streets.
Of course, it was all countryside at first. East Avenue was a trail, widened into a dirt road in 1811. A few farmhouses lined the road that was used as a major stagecoach route. It wasn’t until the 1830s that the first mansions were constructed. You’ll get to see inside one fine estate completed in 1865, including the second floor. We just couldn’t let you miss the grand hall upstairs!
One of the earliest areas you’ll traverse on the tour is Vick Park A and B. The curved section of Park Avenue between these two is all that remains of its original purpose: a horse-racing track. James Vick turned it into a nursery, and then ultimately subdivided it into home lots. What other area can boast of going from racing to roses to residences? You will even get to visit one of Mr. Vick’s first “spec houses.”
As the 20th century dawned, developers gave streets names that would appeal to those looking to move up in the world. Collegiate names such as Oxford or Vassar; and British influenced choices like Westminster, Barrington, Berkeley and Buckingham bestowed an air of sophistication. You will enjoy seeing the sophisticated details as well as the warmth of the homes when you visit them on the 2018 tour.
Houses on this tour include an interesting variety: a grand East Avenue mansion, elegant Colonial Revival homes, detailed Victorian cottages, and charming Tudor Revival houses. There is even a home in a structure originally built for a VERY different purpose – we challenge you to guess what!
If you’ve never participated in the June tour, you’ll want to know that you can go at your own pace. Your ticket booklet provides a map, descriptions of the houses, and a one time admission to each home. You may go in any order – you can even choose to visit some houses on Saturday and others on Sunday.
Pre-Tour Talk
A Pre-Tour Talk on the history, architecture, and past residents of the neighborhood will be given on Tuesday, June 5th at 7:00 PM at the Rochester Academy of Medicine building (1441 East Avenue). The talk is FREE to ticket holders – present your ticket at the talk, or pick up your pre-ordered ticket that evening. Tour tickets may also be purchased that evening (if not sold out), or you may attend the talk only for $5.
We are grateful to the major House and Garden Tour Sponsors:
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