German Village residents are opening their doors and garden gates for the 50th annual Haus und Garten Tour. This year’s tour is from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 28.
The milestone anniversary’s theme is “Celebrating 50 Years of Inspired Living.” The event plays host to 12 sites, which include a variety of renovated houses new to the tour and a few that have been included in past tours. One of the sites this year is the original Meeting Haus for the German Village Society.
Norm Hall, a 19-year resident of German Village and chair of this year’s event, promises the 50th anniversary tour will not disappoint.
“We really want to celebrate the past 50 years and all of the people that have worked so hard, not only on their houses, but in other areas in the village,” Hall says.
The Haus und Garten Tour is a signature event organized by the German Village Society, a non-profit association dedicated to historic preservation and civic programs. All proceeds benefit the society.
The event takes a close second to the German Village Oktoberfest in terms of size and budget, but the Haus und Garten tour offers German Village and its residents a chance to shine.
“This is an important part of German Village’s success and vibrancy,” Hall says. “German Village exists because of the tour. I firmly believe that if there hadn’t been a tour started years ago, the neighborhood wouldn’t exist or be anything like it is today.”
As guests pass through the 12 destinations, they will also view artists from the Central Ohio Watercolor Society painting the house or garden site. Starting at 9 a.m., members of the society will be seated outside the sites as part of the yearly competition. At the end of the day, judges will award the top three paintings. Homeowners are then given the opportunity to purchase the painting of their home.
In addition to touring homes and gardens, the society also invites guests to stroll through a “marketplatz” (German for marketplace), which is set up in Schiller Park. Tour guests can browse vendors with a variety of home and garden accessories and crafts. Refreshments will also be available.
The German Village Society expects approximately 5,000 guests from around the state. Tickets for the German Village Haus und Garten tour are $15 pre-sale or $20 the day of the event. For more information, visit
www.germanvillage.com.
Of Note:
For guests looking to get a little more intimate with Haus und Garten tour sites, the society is offering a PreTour June 27 from 5 p.m. to midnight, with a “Dining through the Decades” theme.
The evening includes a private tour of the 12 homes, followed by cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and music at the Meeting Haus. Homeowners will then welcome guests into their homes for a decade-themed dinner, celebrating the five decades of the Haus und Garten tours.
Tickets for the event are $125. Visit
www.germanvillage.com to learn more.
The 50th Tour will feature 10 homes and four gardens that promise to appeal to all tastes and lifestyles. Following are the homes that will be featured:
• 792 S. Fifth Street, Rich and Janet Dawson;
• 255 E. Beck Street, Tim Straker and Mike Ebright;
• 313 E. Jackson, Michael McKibben and Kevin McGuire;
• 770 S. Lazelle Street, Tom and Nancy Gross;
• Beck Street Condo;
• 803 S. Fifth Street, Gail Evans;
• 132 Reinhard Ave., Sharon Alvarez;
• 380 Jackson, Brian Santin and Crystal Seamon;
• 192 E. Beck Street, Eleanor Alvarez; and
• 129 E. Kossuth Street, Flint Gabelman and Mary-Jane McFadden.
The four gardens featured are:
• 743 Jaeger Street, David and Mary Connolly-Ross;
• 283 E. Sycamore Street, Lonnie Thompson;
• 80 E. Sycamore Street, Edwin and Linda Season; and
• 611 S. Fifth Street, Maggie Nourse.
Anna Gerber is a contributing writer for Luxury Living.