Ten Reasons to Take the Old North Knoxville Victorian Home Tour

By David E. Booker

For twelve years, Old North Knox has held a Holiday Home Tour on the first weekend in December. Despite that, questions remain about the neighborhood's Home Tour. Well, give us a few minutes and we'll answer your questions as we give you ten reasons to take the tour.

Reason 1: No two homes are alike

Old North Knoxville is home to architectural styles dating from the late nineteenth century into the mid-twentieth. For example, there are Queen Anne, Craftsman/Bungalow, Neoclassical Revival, and American Four Square style homes to name only a few. Examples of these styles will be on tour this year. There will also be a church on tour.

Still, as is true with most historic architecture in Knoxville, there are very few “pure” examples of each style. Even the homes that reflect these dominant style traits had other influences. Because of this, no two Craftsman homes in Old North Knoxville are exactly the same, and some homes, like the American Four Square, have Craftsman influences. In other words, these homes reflect America: a blending of influences, yet each one still distinctive. Therefore, having seen one Craftsman, you have not seen them all.

Reason 2: Each home is like opening a present.

We are all curious, to one degree or another, about what other people have in their homes and how they have decorated. We’ve all glanced in the windows of our neighbors’ homes, usually at twilight, when the interior lights first come on and the shades have not yet been completely drawn. It’s a desire left over from childhood. It’s a desire as old as wrapped Christmas presents.

The Home Tour gives you a chance to step inside those homes and possibly discover a place bedecked in African folk art, or one decorated with contemporary art from local artists. You get to see the colors of the kitchen cabinets (and maybe even how the knobs on the drawers are hung) and what types of stoves are being used. You get to see how the bedrooms and bathrooms and living rooms are arranged, and what special Holiday decorations each homeowner has out. Who knows, you may even discover a three-quarter-size statue of Jesus in a master bedroom, looking out over the bed. You may even get a few ideas of what you would like to do in your own home. Each home is like opening a present.

Reason 3: You get to touch and smell and see and feel history.

Each home on the Old North Knoxville Victorian Holiday Home Tour is a piece of history. One might even say a piece of living history. It is not only a reflection of what the present owner is doing, but also a reflection of what the original owner and all those in between have done. The homes on the tour are also working history. They tell the story of the craftsmanship that built them. They remind us day after day that history has meaning, that it is not encased in some book gathering dust on the shelf. And unlike pieces of history in museums, these homes are history you can touch and smell and see and feel in a way few other pieces of history can be.

Reason 4: You get to meet interesting people

There is nothing like a homeowner in an historic neighborhood talking about her home. It almost has the passion of a zealot. In fact, maybe it does, particularly if the homeowner has done the renovation work herself. There is nothing like working on an old home to bring out a sense of wonder in the homeowner. She knows she is part of something larger than herself, something that has, as they say today, gravitas. It doesn’t come overnight and it certainly doesn’t come with a newer home. But find somebody who has worked to renovate an old home, especially one that was once condemned, and you will probably find yourself talking to one of the more interesting people you will ever meet.

Reason 5: You get to see what was done.

A big misconception about homes in historic neighborhoods like Old North Knoxville is that you are limited in what you can do with your home. While there are certain guidelines that must be followed, in general the homeowner has the same rights (and responsibilities) as he does elsewhere. For example, in Old North Knoxville, he can paint the exterior of his home the color he wants. No special permission is needed. On the interior, this latitude means the homeowner can lovingly restore old plaster and lath in a home that has it or he can replace it with drywall. The plaster and lath way would be called restoration and the drywall method of redoing an older home would be called rehabilitation. 

The owner can also change the layout of his home. For example, in a Victorian home you might find walk-in closets installed when the house was renovated. Big closets didn’t exist in original Victorian homes. There was even a closet tax in Knoxville. Closets were considered a sign of wealth. Today, they’re a place to hide clutter.

Reason 6: You get to see how it was done.

To one degree or another, every home is a work in progress. Even if it is just mowing the yard and trimming the hedges, there is always something to do. In Old North Knoxville, that can be especially true if you are in the process of restoring a home that has suffered neglect. Toward that end, often a home or two on the tour is being restored or rehabilitated. In that case, you get to see what has been done, what still needs to be done, and maybe even how the work is being done. There is nothing like seeing in person something you want to do. It gives you a better idea what you might have before you at your own home. Most of the homeowners are in their homes when you tour them, and more often than not they are happy to answer any questions you might have about what work they have done or are doing.

Reason 7: You get free entertainment.

This year, on Saturday, December 1^st, the Old English Caroling Ensemble from Pellissippi State will sing traditional Christmas carols. This group of singers will travel from porch to porch, visiting all the homes on tour, stopping to sing Christmas songs you know and love.

Reason 8: Tickets are easy to get and refreshments will be offered.

This year, for the first time, you can purchase tickets at any Kroger’s grocery store in the greater Knoxville area. This means you can get them in Harriman and Maryville, even as far west as Crossville, I believe. And the price? Only $8 per ticket for advance tickets; $10 per ticket the days of the tour.

On the day of the tour, you can buy tickets at any of the tour homes or at the main booth, which will be located at Woodland Avenue parking lot of St. Mary’s Hospital.

Reason 9: You get a complimentary calendar and a free ride.

Unfortunately, those people of the ancient past who cobbled together our system of measuring a year did not see fit to do so with any consistency. Because of that, what was Monday, January 1^st will not be Monday, February 1^st or Monday, April 1^st. To help solve that problem, we at Old North Knoxville provide complimentary calendars to ticket holders.

The calendar contains pictures of the homes on the tour, descriptions of the homes, a reminder of when next year’s tour is, and an accurate listing of the months and days ahead in the coming year.

Also, if you don’t want to walk the tour, there will be busses running that you can ride to each stop on the tour. In other words, you can park your car at the Woodland Avenue parking lot of St. Mary’s Hospital, catch a bus, and leave the driving to us.

Reason 10: You might find a home you want to call your very own.

While the purpose of the tour is to promote saving historic homes in general and Old North Knoxville homes in particular, you might also find that home you’re looking for. I did, and I didn’t even know I was looking. My wife and I went on the Holiday Home Tour one December weekend about two years ago. At the time we weren’t looking for a home at the time. But six months thereafter we decided to look and guess what? One of the houses on tour was up for sale. We liked the house when we toured it. We liked it even more when we were looking at houses. And now, we like enough to be part of Old North Knoxville, Inc., the neighborhood association that works to promote and preserve the distinct character that is Old North Knoxville.

In other words, as you’re moving around the neighborhood look at all the homes. Several not on the tour are being restored and one or two of them are or soon will be for sale.

I hope you now see the advantages of taking the Old North Knoxville Victorian Holiday Home Tour, and that your questions have been answered. If not, send us an e-mail and we’ll see what we can do. See you the first weekend in December. The tour hours are Saturday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Questions or comments: webmaster@oldnorthknoxville.org

The Webmaster would like to thank Brian McDaniel for providing the interior shots of the homes that participated in the 2000 Home Tour.