Owners of historic houses and small cottages are throwing open the doors of their homes during the next weekend for two separate tours. The festive event will kick off with a candlelight tour on Saturday, December 10 from 5pm-9pm.

The tour will begin at the Meadows Museum, located at 2911 Centenary Blvd, and will feature complimentary wine and cheese, musical entertainment, and mini-bus transportation to the tour homes. Sunday’s afternoon tour will be from 1pm-5pm and will begin at C & C Electric and Lighting, located at 2430 Line Ave. The tour will feature complimentary coffee, refreshments, live holiday music, and trolley transportation to the tour homes. Driving maps will be available for those who wish to drive themselves on the tour.

Tickets are $20 per day and will be sold at the starting point of each tour (the Meadows on Saturday and C & C Electric on Sunday). Two-day package deals are available in advance for a money-saving $35. Click here to buy your tickets online! For more information, contact HRA at 318-221-7629 or highland_restoration@hotmail.com.

Highland Restoration A Holiday Home Tour Saturday Candlelight Tour

Meadows Museum, 2911 Centenary Boulevard- Established in 1975 at Centenary College of Louisiana, the Meadows Museum of Art was built on the 150th anniversary of the college to house the Jean Despujois collection of paintings and drawings of Indochina. Today, the museum hosts exhibitions throughout the calendar year, introducing the Shreveport area to local, national and international art and artists. As the Saturday night staging site for the 2011 Candlelight Tour of Historic Homes, guests are invited to explore the museum’s galleries, listen to music, sample holiday beverages and treats, and shop for gifts as they view works currently on display in the museum. Complimentary gift wrapping is available in the museum’s upstairs studio. Pose for a commemorative holiday photo outside while waiting for complimentary mini-buses that will transport you to the rest of our lovely holiday homes on tour. Feel free to park in the Centenary lot across the street. Security will be present.

1311 Line Avenue- Studio 1311, owned by Scarlett and Jefferson Hendricks. This former commercial building is now the home of “Photography by Scarlett.” For the past several years, Scarlett has been dreaming about her own studio space—and finally found it. Constructed in 1931, this building served as the home for Paris Cleaners and Dyers until 1939 and from then until 1969 for White’s Cleaners and Dyers. From the early 1970s to 2010 it was used variously for storage and as a workroom for several pinball and video game repair companies. After buying the building in the fall of 2010, Scarlett has renovated it into a multi-purpose photographer’s space. She has left it as much as possible in its raw, post-industrial, exposed-brick-and-concrete condition—but adding to it her own special creative touches. Scarlett is particularly excited about opening her new photography studio and gallery during the building’s 80th birthday year! Tour guests can enjoy an acoustic guitarist, playing holiday music, while exploring the downstairs of Scarlett’s new studio.

1053 Boulevard Street- Classical Revival Cottage, owned by Jeff and Andrea Everson. This Classical Revival Cottage was built in 1911 by timber man, Robert B. Goode, whose family owned it until 1949. It features a side facing gable roof with two segmented pediment gabled dormers and a center segmented pediment portico supported by Ionic columns, original windows in the sunroom and living room, original hardwood floors and interior stucco walls. This house had reached a state of great disrepair following a fire in the 2000’s and was saved from demolition by former Councilman Monty Walford. After a thorough restoration by James Davis, it became the home of current Shreveport City Councilman Jeff Everson, his wife Dr. Andrea Master Everson, their four dogs and a child on the way any day now. Look for 1053 Boulevard in the upcoming TV series, “Ghostbreakers!”

2524 Fairfield Avenue- 2524 Fairfield Avenue, Barret Place. One of the Fairfield Historic District’s showcase homes, this house was built in 1908 by Lt. Governor Thomas Charles Barret on property purchased by his father in 1866. The home was acquired by Mr. and Mrs. William M. Barret in 1938. The current home owner has put his own unique touches on the décor.

822 Kirby Place- Owned by Blake Lee. Built in 1914 by the Arnold family, this beautiful American Foursquare is a true architectural gem that sits on a double lot in the Historic Fairfield District. The Randleman family made this their home for many hears until 2009 when the current owner, Blake Lee, bought it and restored it with attention to keeping its original charm with today’s modern amenities. This home has only 3 owners on record. Complete with a double-sided staircase, original claw foot tub and amazing wood-working throughout. The tall ceilings and hardwood floors are indicative of the era of the home.

2745 Fairfield Avenue- Pine Wold, owned by Tom Giles and Sherry Kerr. Pine Wold, as the stately old mansion was originally named, was constructed in 1903 by the Thomas Jones family, but its present appearance dates largely from its reconstruction in 1919 by the James P. Evans family. The original Pine Wold was designed by notable local architect Edward F. Neild, Sr. when he was largely unknown, but later Neild went on to be the supervising architect for renovations to the White House during the Truman administration. The home’s style is Mediterranean Revival with Roman Revival elements. Note the carved window cornices and the pergola-style canopies at both the front and rear entrances. The wide front terrace adds a welcoming feel to the home. One of the most interesting aspects of Pine Wold’s history is its location on the former wintering grounds for the “Mighty Haag Circus.” Ernest Haag, circus founder, was one of those young men who actually did run away from home to join the circus and ended up in Shreveport. The Mighty Haag Circus toured the country for 40 years, but the animals wintered in Shreveport. A favorite pastime around the turn of the Twentieth Century for many Shreveporters was to take the street car down Thornhill Avenue to view Haag’s exotic animals. You, too, can enjoy the ambiance of Pine Wold’s spacious grounds as you sip a glass of complimentary wine served in the home’s carriage house, listen to holiday music and look for ghostly reminders of elephants, giraffes, camels, leopards and monkeys.

Highland Restoration A Holiday Home Tour Sunday Afternoon Tour

C & C Electric and Lighting Co, 2430 Line Avenue- C and C Electric and Lighting, owned by Wayne and Gale Simmons. C and C Electric, founded in 1946 by the Camus family, is currently owned by Wayne and Gale Simmons and housed in a 1950’s building where Wayne and Gale carry on many of the traditions of the original owners. The business specializes in restoration of lamps and chandeliers, but in addition to old and new lighting, C and C Electric’s show room features antique furniture and other unique items. Enjoy refreshments and live holiday music as you purchase tour tickets, browse the showroom and wait for the trolley to transport you to lovely historic homes filled with the warmth of the holiday season.

820 Prospect Street- Owned by Wayne and Gale Simmons. Located next door to C and C Electric, this bungalow was constructed in the late 1920’s and has been home to several families. Wayne and Gale purchased the home from a special lady, Ms. Barbour. The Simmons have remodeled the home, turning it into a showroom for C and C Electric and Lighting that features cottage furniture and lighting. The home can also be used for neighborhood gatherings, but today you are invited to visit this bungalow all decked out for the holidays.

More From News Radio 710 KEEL