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The 2008 Historic Tyler on Tour, featuring the Candlelight House, plus six other Tyler residences, is scheduled for March 28-30 in Tyler, Historic Tyler on Tour spokesperson MaryAnn Wills said.

The Candlelight Party & Tour will take place from 7-11 p.m. March 28 at the home of Carrie and Bennett White, 1503 S. Chilton Ave. Tickets are $50 in advance or $60 at the door.

The Day Tour of Homes will feature the Allen home, 2729 Old Bullard Road; the Bonner-Whitaker-McClendon House, 806 W. Houston; the Emmerich home, 1326 Roseland Blvd.; the Handley home, 536 Park Heights Circle; the Justice home, 521 W. Fourth St.; the Rosekrans home, 409 W. Dobbs St.

Day tour hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. March 29 and 1-5 p.m. March 30. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 on the day of the tour. Tickets are available online at www.historictyler.org through March 27 only.

The following information on the homes is provided by Historic Tyler Inc.

Carrie and Bennett White
1503 S. Chilton Ave.

In 1930, N.P. Powell, an oilman, and his wife, Bertha, hired an architect from Dallas to design a two-story home for them, to be built at 1503 S. Chilton Ave. Located in the South Park Heights Subdivision, developed by J.A. Bergfeld, the land was originally part of the 125 acres used by the Confederate gunworks during the Civil War.

By 1931, the same year Peoples Bank was constructed on the square, the home was completed and the Powells moved in. Allen Tooke, a noted decorator, has described the home as the purest example of French Classic architecture in Tyler, Ms. Wills said.

A well known decorator from Dallas was hired to help Mrs. Powell acquire the pink marble fireplace mantel from Siena, Italy, for the living room and the railing for the stairway from France.

“Today, they are still in the home, as grand as they were in 1931. The stonework on the exterior around the windows and doors is original, as well as, the slate tile roof. All the gutters and downspouts are copper and are still maintained by the present owner,” Ms. Wills said.

In the late 1960s, after living in the house for more than 35 years, the Powells built a new house on Park Heights Circle and moved. The Chilton house sat vacant for a few years. In 1971, Shelba and Walter Johnson bought the home. The Johnsons, with the advice of contractor Elmer Sharpe, a respected builder, made only one change in the home. That change was in the kitchen where the cabinets were too tall for Shelba. They had been designed for the Powell’s cook who was very tall.

Thirty years later, in 2002, Shelba and Walter Johnson sold the home to Carrie and Bennett White. Furnishing the home with European antiques and family pieces, the Whites have not changed the home from its initial design. Although maintenance repairs have been made and the walls replastered, the original moldings have been used and all the original flooring remains, as well.

“Carrie and Bennett have made the garage into a guest house. An outside fireplace and pool with its French fountain have been added, as well as a European-style cobblestone drive in the front which was added this year,” Ms. Willis said. “With only three owners since it was constructed in 1931, each homeowner has shared a deep love for this home.”

The Allen Home
2729 Old Bullard Road

Historic Tyler on Tour 2008 is featuring the home of Dr. Eugene and Sarah Elizabeth (Tobin) Allen as the Designer Showcase home in 2008. The home has had only one owner, the Allens.

Located in the Fairmeadows Subdivision on Old Bullard Road, where it was far enough on the outskirts of town that pastures and grazing cattle existed across the road, the home was built in 1949 for the Allens. Here, they reared two sons and two daughters.

The ranch-style architecture with traditional styling was typical of that era. It was constructed the same year Bergfeld Center opened and the Whitehouse Dam was completed to create Lake Tyler.

“Dr. Allen, a local dentist, touched the lives of many in the community. Serving on the Tyler Junior College Board of Trustees for 33 years, he was instrumental in establishing the dental hygiene program on the campus. Because of his great love of tennis, Dr. Allen also was instrumental in beginning the Tennis Tech program and a varsity tennis team at TJC which in the ensuing years has won at least 20 national titles,” Ms. Wills said.

Upon Dr. Allen’s death, a TJC instructor, George Tefteller, said, “We played doubles for 25 years ... we played every Thursday. Dr. Allen loved his family, loved TJC, loved his work and loved tennis.”

The one and one-half story home still has its original hardwood floors and fixtures, including the original tile in the bathrooms. Some remodeling was done in the 1960s in the living and dining room, and the den was extended at that time. The playhouse built by Dr. Allen for the children still stands in the back yard.

806 W. Houston

Built in 1878 at the cost of about $6,000 for Harrison M. and Martha “Mattie” Bonner Whitaker, this rare Eastlake Bracketed Victorian home is located on the corner of Vine and West Houston streets. “Like living on New York’s Fifth Avenue,” was the way then Texas Gov. R. B. Hubbard referred to the home.

Now listed in the National Register of Historic Places and recorded as a Texas Landmark, the two-story 12-room home is situated on more than two acres.

The land once belonged to Judge Bonner’s law partner, J. Pinckney Henderson, the first governor of Texas after Texas became a state in 1846. The Judge’s eldest daughter, Mattie, and her husband were given the land on which to build their home by her father as a wedding present.

After living in the home for a number of years, sadly, Mattie died of influenza at the age of 37, leaving her husband with four young children. Five years later, he remarried and moved to Beaumont. In 1909, the house and much of its furnishings were sold to Mattie’s sister, Annie Bonner, and her husband, Sydney McClendon, for $4,500. They moved into the house with eight children, and in 1910 had their ninth child, Sarah McClendon, the Washington news correspondent.

Two of Sarah’s sisters, Patience and Annie, lived in the home until February 1979, when they moved to a nursing home. After remaining in the family for more than 100 years, the house was deeded by the McClendon family in 1981 to the Bonner-Whitaker-McClendon House Society for historic preservation. Extensive renovation began shortly afterward on the home and surrounding grounds.

The next year, in 1982, while work had begun on the interior, a fire was set by arsonists in an upstairs bedroom. Because of the sound structure of the home, it suffered only minimal damage.

“Thankfully, the furnishings, some family pieces dating back to the 1860s, had been placed in storage. It was not until 1988 that the McClendon House officially opened its doors to the public,” Ms. Wills said.

“Many startling discoveries, of not just family history but local history, were found in trunks and among the personal belongings of the sisters who had lived in the home. So much of Tyler’s history is tied to this home and the families that have lived there,” she said.

The home is marking its 20th year of opening its doors to the public.

“Enjoy your step back in time with this incredible historic treasure,” Ms. Wills said.

1326 Roseland Boulevard

South of the Historic Charnwood Residential area in the Azalea District is one of Tyler’s most prestigious estates. When this house was built in 1948 for Fred Weeks and his wife, Katie, the population of Tyler was no more than 28,000.

Weeks, an attorney, and his family lived in the home until 1978. After that, the home was vacant for a time. By 1982, it had been purchased by Dr. Asa Lockhart, an anesthesiologist, and his wife, Joy. The Lockharts made some cosmetic changes and remodeled the kitchen, which had been a servants’ kitchen. This was changed into an updated kitchen, and the butler’s pantry became a morning room. After owning the home for more than 20 years, the Lockharts sold the home to Paul and Machelle Emmerich in 2005.

Situated on three city lots, this elegant French Colonial Revival style home features a two-story circular foyer and a grand staircase in the entry. Many rose queens have used this lovely staircase as a formal setting for their photographs.

The formal living room features dentil moldings, as well as a hand-carved mantel and marble fireplace. The demilune-shaped dining room also features the dentil moldings and a chandelier. From the dining room, windows overlook massive azalea plantings and manicured grounds with large stately trees providing a view. Crystal chandeliers, most of which are original to the home, are found in many rooms throughout the home.

A hidden bar and elevator were found in the house when the Emmerichs purchased the home. A covered walkway separates the main house from the garage and guest quarters, which reflect the same French Colonial architecture as the main house.

“The upstairs of the guest quarters with its colorful history has been renovated and is affectionately referred to by Paul and Machelle as the ‘Oil Baron’s Suite,’” Ms. Wills said.

Moving to Tyler from out-of-state, Mrs. Emmerich is no stranger to the area. Though she was not born here, she has descendants reaching back to the 1840s in Tyler and the East Texas area.

“As the Emmerichs lovingly restore and maintain their home, it is their wish to preserve the integrity of the house by being careful to keep its original design and grandeur,” Ms. Wills said.

536 Park Heights Circle

After the initial oil boom, the prosperity of Tyler continued and more residences were built farther south of the neighborhood near Bergfeld Park. In 1950, a Southern Colonial-style home with solid wood columns and with accents of ironwork typical of the French look of New Orleans was built on Park Heights Circle for Ross and Freda Walker. Walker was a self-made man, successful in the oil business. In this two-story, three-bedroom home, he and his wife reared their two children.

Walker’s first wife died, and he later remarried. Little was done to the home over the ensuing years except to add an elevator to connect the downstairs with the master bedroom upstairs, when Walker’s health began to fail.

After his death, June, his second wife, hired Carl Weber, an architect, to do some remodeling. At this time, she had the leaded glass door panels installed on either side of the original front door.

When the second Mrs. Walker died 6 1/2 years ago, the home was left unoccupied until Dr. Richard and Suzanne Handley purchased the home in 2003 from the Ross Walker Trust.

Local architects were hired by the Handleys to make some changes before moving into the home. Fourteen months later, the changes were complete, and they moved in. A new garage was added with a to-be-finished area upstairs. The old garage became a work office. Downstairs, two bedrooms and two bathrooms were added, and the elevator was removed. The kitchen and den were enlarged, and the master bedroom upstairs became a ballroom.

“Most of the original light fixtures remain, but have been relocated to other areas of the home. The dining room fixture is in its original spot. Throughout the house the beautiful pine floors have remained a focal point of the home,” Ms. Wills said.

The ironwork and gas lamp from the front of the home have been relocated to the back yard. Two gas lanterns have been added on either side of the front entry.

“Suzanne has furnished the home with many antiques and family pieces which add to the grace and charm of the home. This elegant home still exudes the love and warmth enjoyed by the Walker family when they lived there,” she said.

521 W. Fourth St.

Located at the edge of the Azalea Brick Streets District in the South Park Heights Subdivision, this cottage-style home was built in 1937 for Horace and Grace Coker. He owned and operated the Coker Electric Co., and his wife, Grace, was director of the choir at the First Presbyterian Church.

In 1957, after he died, Mrs. Coker continued to live in the home until she died in 1983. After her death, the home changed occupants and owners several times, until 2001, when Fether and Jim Justice purchased the home.

Much of the structure is as it was when the Cokers built the home in 1937. Arched doorways, crown molding, and the hardwood floors are original to the home. Initially, the fireplace was used only with gas until the present owners discovered that it was also intended to be a wood burning fireplace.

The painted exterior of the home, which was buff-colored brick, is typical of the changes to the homes in the neighborhood. Though not original to the home, the front door was altered to fit the doorway.

“Interesting enough, the present owner purchased the door from a home in Hannibal, Mo., which was located next door to the historic home of Mark Twain, listed in the National Register of Historic Places,” Ms. Wills said.

Filled with authentic collections of antiques and eclectic pieces of furniture, Mrs. Justice has arranged these in the “Shabby Chic” style.

A chandelier ordered from Belgium by the Cokers still hangs in its original spot in the dining room. It is one of several still in the home. Also, in the dining room is a chifforobe that belonged to Mrs. Justice’s family. Now, with glass shelving, it holds many family treasures. Beside the chifforobe is a violin with a unique family history.

After surviving 70 years, the black-and-white tile and marble flooring in the bathroom are in excellent condition and still remain in use today.

“Fether and Jim have kept the 1930s integrity of the home and have made few changes in the home other than updating the kitchen and creating a small guest room from a porch enclosed by previous owners,” Ms. Wills said.

409 W. Dobbs St.

Built in 1933 in the Brick Street Historic District for Samuel “Sam” and Mary R. Harrison, this cottage-style home is typical of the other homes on Dobbs Street in the 1930s.

“The neighborhood featured merchant class modest brick homes with sidewalks and brick paved streets. Many times garages and garage apartments were built at the rear of the structures. This home is a perfect example of the homes built in the early 1930s,” Ms. Wills said.

Harrison owned and operated the Harrison Service Station on West Erwin and Mrs. Harrison worked at Marsh School. He later became a salesman for Swann’s Furniture Store.

By 1981, Harrison had retired and moved from the home after living there for 48 years. For a time, the home became rental property with various occupants and passed to several owners.

“In 2003, Teresa and Scott Rosekrans fell in love with the house and purchased the home from Wendy and Brad Himes,” Ms. Wills said.

Throughout the home, the original floors and windows are still intact. The fireplace and cabinet work are the same as they were in 1933.

By adding a staircase in the dining room last year, they were able to access the attic and extend their living space with an office upstairs. This added 300 square feet to the now one and one-half story home with two bedrooms, and one bath.

“Other than the upstairs addition, Teresa and Scott have made few changes to the original structure. Now painted, the exterior was buff colored brick veneer, typical of the neighborhood in the l930s,” Ms. Wills said.

“Treasured family photos of descendants, many from the 1800s, are artfully displayed in the upstairs office. The violin shown in one of the photos is the same violin displayed downstairs. Scott is the fifth generation to have the violin,” she said.

Mrs. Rosekrans’ love of primitive furniture is evident throughout the home. Many of the pieces belonged to members of the family, including the furniture in the master bedroom. Around her grandmother’s table in the dining room are chairs that she refinished as a high school project. Recently, they were able to convert the garage into a guest cottage with a bedroom, a full bath, and an efficiency kitchen.