Friday, November 26, 1999
Grand homes dress in wreaths and bows
Mansion Hill opens for tour
BY TERRY FLYNN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
NEWPORT — Susan Abernethy Frank and her husband, John, have come full circle with the Victorian Christmas Tour in the Mansion Hill neighborhood, from taking the tour to having a house that is part of the tour.
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IF YOU GO
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• What: Victorian Christmas Tour, sponsored by the Mansion Hill Neighborhood Association.
• When: Dec. 4-5, from 1-7 p.m.
• Where: Newport, in the East Row Historic District.
• Features: Six houses built in the late 1800s, restored to their original beauty. Also, a Christmas store at the George Wiedemann Jr. mansion at Fourth and Park.
• Tickets: $8 per person, available on tour days at the George Wiedemann Jr. mansion.
• Information: www.eastrow.org or call the voice-mail line, (513) 588-4600.
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“We took one of the Christmas tours two years ago, and decided Mansion Hill was where we wanted to live,” Ms. Frank said. “I lived in Terrace Park and John lived in Mount Adams, and this area was the right combination of tree-lined streets and city life we both wanted.”
So in 1998, they bought a big Queen Anne-style house, built around 1895 for William T. Johnston, in the 400 block of East Fifth Street. They discussed plans to restore the house to its original splendor, and then hired David Hosea's rehab group to do the work.
“We were able to retain all the original features and authenticity of the house,” she said. “We really didn't want to rehab a home, but when we tried to find a completed house in the Mansion Hill area to purchase, there were none. That's when we bought this house.”
The Franks' home features a prominent front pedimented gable and a two-story turret with a conical roof. Original stone carvings around the windows and the upper-floor four-part arched window decorations and wood shingles have been retained.
The Victorian Christmas Tour on Dec. 4-5, sponsored by the Mansion Hill Neighborhood Association, is in its ninth season of presenting some of the finest older homes in the city's East Row Historic District, the second-largest local historic district in Kentucky. Visitors will see six historic homes decorated for the holidays. Five of the homes, including the Frank house, have never been open to the public. Among the outstanding features of the houses are ornate architecture and stained-glass windows. Many homeowners and greeters will be dressed in costumes
echoing the late 19th century.
, Free horse-drawn carriage rides will be available Dec. 4. A Christmas store showcasing local artwork, holiday crafts, antiques and ornaments will be open at the George Wiedemann Jr. mansion at 401 Park Ave. during the tour. Tickets, at $8 per person, may be bought at the Wiede mann house during the tour hours.
Among the other houses featured is the Peter Weckman House, a Queen Anne built around 1900; the Beardsley House, an Italianate townhouse built about 1875; and the John Meara house, a Queen Anne built around 1900 that features an artistic one-story entry porch.
The tour offers several points of interest that reflect the history of the neighborhood, including the Ash-Ley House bed and breakfast; the Newton Bennett house which is now an antiques and collectibles shop; the Charles Raison house, which is now the law office for Benton Benton and Luedeke; and St. Mark Lutheran Church.
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