LF_121219
LF_121219
LF_121219
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
LakeForestLeaderDaily.com LIFE & ARTS<br />
the lake forest leader | December 12, 2019 | 19<br />
Posted to LakeForestLeaderDaily.com 1 day ago<br />
Christmas Home Tour showcases modern, classic LB homes<br />
Stephanie Carlson<br />
Freelance Reporter<br />
Known for its rich history<br />
and charming appeal,<br />
the village of Lake Bluff<br />
hosted its ninth annual<br />
Christmas Home Tour this<br />
holiday season.<br />
The event, hosted by the<br />
Lake Bluff History Museum,<br />
took place on Sunday,<br />
Dec. 8, paired with other<br />
events as part of Lake<br />
Bluff’s It’s a Wonderful<br />
Life weekend.<br />
The tour gave visitors<br />
from all around the area<br />
the opportunity to view<br />
the insides of some of the<br />
beautiful homes of Lake<br />
Bluff. Each home displayed<br />
the homeowner’s<br />
own unique style and gave<br />
viewers an insight into the<br />
rich architectural history<br />
that the village has to offer.<br />
This year’s tour saw four<br />
beautiful homes available<br />
for viewing. During the<br />
event, visitors were also<br />
able to stop by two separate<br />
historic homes that<br />
hosted holiday boutiques<br />
offering a wide variety of<br />
assorted purchasable gifts.<br />
The event not only offered<br />
an enjoyable opportunity<br />
for locals but also helped<br />
to raise funds for the museum’s<br />
archives and exhibits.<br />
“We think this is a wonderful<br />
addition to Lake<br />
Bluff,” said Kathy O’Hara,<br />
village president and director<br />
and founder of the<br />
Lake Bluff History Museum.<br />
“It’s just a whole part<br />
of who we are.”<br />
The first stop of the tour<br />
took place at the museum<br />
itself where visitors could<br />
pick up their tour booklets.<br />
The booklets not only<br />
mapped out the tour but<br />
gave an insight into the<br />
houses and boutiques on<br />
the route. There, visitors<br />
The Christmas Home Tour included 550 E. Center Ave.<br />
The Honey Bird Cottage, at 425 E. Scranton Ave., was<br />
built and designed in 2014 by Vicki Lidstrom, of Leggy<br />
Bird Designs, in Lake Bluff.<br />
could check-in, purchase<br />
tickets, and even speak<br />
with O’Hara herself.<br />
“The houses we have<br />
are uniquely Lake Bluff,”<br />
she said. “They are different<br />
styled beautifully<br />
done family homes. I think<br />
it reflects who we are as<br />
a community; how we’ve<br />
grown from a camp meeting<br />
down to a modern, attractive,<br />
desired suburb.”<br />
The John J. Murdock<br />
home, built by Murdock -<br />
the so-called “Vaudeville<br />
King” - showed off its historical<br />
roots and centurylong<br />
unchanged design.<br />
The entire house has been<br />
mostly untouched since<br />
1905, making itself a historical<br />
Lake Bluff beauty.<br />
“I had a woman come<br />
through that grew up<br />
here as well from roughly<br />
mid-1950 to mid-1960,”<br />
said homeowner Kathy<br />
McKechney, who has participated<br />
in the Christmas<br />
Home Tour for nine years.<br />
“Meeting people that grew<br />
up here has been a fantastic<br />
experience.”<br />
Not only did the tour include<br />
unchanged historical<br />
houses, but also featured<br />
beautiful modern homes<br />
designed and decorated<br />
by local Lake Bluff businesses.<br />
The “Honey Bird Cottage”<br />
was built and de-<br />
Please see HOME TOUR, 20<br />
Guests admire the boutique inside 616 E. Center Ave. in Lake Bluff, one of the<br />
houses on the Christmas Home Tour Sunday, Dec. 8. The boutique was selling items<br />
during the tour. Photos by Alex Newman/22nd Century Media<br />
One of the homes on the Christmas Home Tour in Lake Bluff was 803 Armour Drive,<br />
which was built in 1925.
Change language