The South End Historical Society (SEHS) will hold its 58th annual South End House Tour on Saturday, October 17th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. First organized in 1967, the South End House Tour features an inside look at restored and renovated townhouses in the largest Victorian row house district in the United States. The tour is a perennial favorite of anyone interested in home design, architecture, restoration, history, or preservation. Participants are given a guidebook that includes descriptions of the private homes and a map so that they can design a route at their own pace.
In addition to private homes, this year’s tour features two historic South End buildings – the Children’s Art Centre and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross – that participants can visit. Ticketholders will have the opportunity to learn more about the history of these two buildings by attending talks relating to each of them. Julia Glatfelter, artist, author, and former teacher at the Children’s Art Centre, worked with relatives of Charlotte Dempsey (the Director of the Children’s Art Centre from 1930-1971) to publish a book written by Charlotte about her time at the Centre. Julia will be talking about Dempsey’s book at the Children’s Art Centre at noon and again at 1:30pm. South End Historical Society Historian John Neale will be at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross speaking about the history of the cathedral at 11:00am and 3:00pm.
The South End Historical Society was founded in 1966 to preserve the architectural fabric of this unique urban neighborhood. In 1973, their efforts resulted in the South End being placed on the National Register of Historic Places and ultimately its designation as a Boston Landmark District in 1983. Today, the annual House Tour is just one of the ways SEHS raises funds to continue to encourage and compile research, and to advocate for preservation of these historic buildings, monuments, and public spaces.
Tickets for the House Tour are $30 in advance and are available at www.southendhistoricalsociety.org/housetour. Tickets will also be available on the day of the Tour for $35 each at Sprogis & Neale Real Estate, 679 Tremont Street.
For more information, please contact the South End Historical Society at [email protected] or 617-536-4445.