Historic homes tour takes 'green' theme

GALVESTON — “Green” architecture, lemonade lunches and a new tour artist will be included in this year’s Galveston Historic Homes Tour, with events beginning tonight.

Ten historical homes are the focus, but an abundance of side trips are offered as well, from Mother’s Day brunch and fashion shows to a historical bike tour. The goal is to raise money and support for the work of the Galveston Historical Foundation.

“The main thing is to show these people who are visiting and supporting the Galveston Historical Foundation that we have such a gem in Galveston with the amount of historic architecture that we have,” Clay Wade, the historical foundation’s events director, said. “Whether you’re a history buff or an architecture buff or even into interiors and landscaping, there’s something for everyone on the tour.”

The theme is “Going Green: What’s Old is New Again” with an emphasis on historic green architecture — building methods developed before the luxuries of electricity, running water and natural gas. High ceilings allowed air circulation; southern exposures allowed for prevailing winds; transom windows allowed light to flow through the house; shell walkways allowed rainwater to absorb into the earth; cisterns caught rainwater for drinking, cooking, bathing and irrigation.

“Our ancestors, the Victorians, were green when they didn’t even know what that was,” Wade said.

He pointed to this year’s restoration project, the “Green Revival House,” 3101 Ave. Q, as an example. The 19th-century cottage being restored in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation is one of the first in the nation planned as a demonstration of how historic energy-efficient design can work in tandem with modern systems.

“The priority of this is as a fundraiser,” Wade said. “But the other priority is that by showing these homes and how they’re made livable in modern times, the tour is an encouragement for people to invest in older properties on the island and restore them and bring them back as viable pieces of history.”

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At A Glance

WHAT: 36th Annual Galveston Historical Foundation Homes Tour

WHEN: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and May 8 and 9

TICKETS: Advance tickets of $20 are available online, www.galvestonhistory.org, and at Kroger stores until Saturday. Beginning Saturday, tickets are $25.

ON THE WEB: galvestonhistory.org

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Special Events

• First Impression Preview Evening Tour: A Stroll Through Galveston’s East End, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. today with a wine and cheese reception at the 1890 Trube Castle from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Five houses, four of which are not on the regular tour, are open for touring. The admission price of $60 also includes a regular Homes Tour ticket.

• Lemonade Lunches on Saturday and May 8, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 1861 U.S. Custom House, 502 20th St. Gourmet box lunches and fresh lemon-ginger mint coolers will be served during the program presented by Susan Bogan and Dawn Wilson about quilting and their family quilts exhibit. Tickets are $20 per person, with advance reservations required.

• The Art of Eugene Aubry, Saturday and May 8, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., 1403 Tremont. Meet the Florida architect and artist who designed Houston’s Wortham Theater Center and the Philharmonic Center for the Arts in Naples, Fla. Aubry is the new Historic Homes Tour official artist and has created hand drawings of Galveston historic tour homes.

• Bike through History, 10 a.m. Sunday, 1861 U.S. Custom House, 502 20th St. Tickets are $10 for the approximately one-hour ride.

• Linen and Lace: A Mother’s Day Champagne Brunch and Fashion Show, Sunday, May 9, 10 a.m. to noon, at the 1880 Garten Verein Pavilion. Fashion show by Head to Footsies, an exclusive boutique located in Galveston’s restored downtown Strand district. Tickets are $45 and include a Historic Homes Tour ticket. Advanced reservations required.

• Basement to Attic: Behind-the-scenes tours of Bishop’s Palace, 6 p.m. Saturday and May 8, Broadway and 14th St. Tickets are $30 per person, and each tour is limited to 24 people.