There's No Place Like Home

By Lindsay DeChacco

In 1999, PBS aired a four-part special in which an eager modern day British family agreed to move into an authentic Victorian home, shun all modern conveniences and live the life of a typical turn-of-the-century family. The experiment was barely underway before the Bowler family’s historical fervor began to crumble beneath the primitive reality of corsets and lye soap.

The endless work and restrictive undergarments took a toll on the female family members; meanwhile Mr. Bowler slipped into an Edwardian chauvinism with greater ease than it took him to don his one-piece long johns and aptly named bowler hat; and the enthusiastic young woman who took on the role of housekeeper began, in very short order, to show serious signs of class resentment.

Clearly, in most respects, our modern advancements have made life better, easier, more efficient and given way to greater equality. Yet we continue to be captivated by the past - particularly in the form of its architecture. This fascination is evident through the popularity of the FQ Historic District’s Annual Home Tour.

Though it doesn’t quite span as far back as the turn-of-the-century, the Story neighborhood is a refreshing departure from Phoenix’s sprawling modern suburbs.  A community of restored homes that date from the 1920s, each house is distinctive. The district consists of a range of architectural styles. You’ll find English Tudors next to Spanish Colonials, Pueblos and Bungalows.

Every year around Christmas, the public can explore these lovingly preserved remnants of a bygone Arizona. You can take in touches of 20’s decadence minus a looming depression, 40’s militarization without the pinch wartime rations, or 50s kitsch sans the threat of a nuclear winter. And with neither bustle skirts nor cast-iron cook stoves to contend with, this historical experiment has proven a smashing success.

The hollow echo of footsteps on a hardwood floor over the rarity of a Phoenix basement can transport you to a different time and place. Mid-century accents spark visions of shoulder-enhanced dames holding down the home front to the score of swing music blaring from wooden radios.

And what’s more quaint and charming than French doors, front and back porches, fireplaces, storybook windows and turreted breakfast nooks? Through buying and restoring these historical houses, the residents of the Story district lay claim to a little piece of Arizona history and get to live in their very own charming throwback to yesteryear.

Sure, a few of the homes on the tour flirt with the luxury amenities found in high-end modern models (i.e. sunken tubs and fancy showers), but more often they hold true to the homespun look of vintage stoves, tiled countertops, pedestal sinks and old fashioned medicine chests.

Last year, the district’s Tudor Revival homes proved to be among my favorites. Together, these 20s and 30s holdovers contained a selection of captivating details, like an original telephone nook, a chandelier hanging in the bathroom, etched glass inset into white kitchen cabinets, or an attic finished and converted into a spacious master suite complete with a sloping ceiling and dormer windows.

Stepping through the stuccoed archways of a Spanish Colonial was an immediate departure from the bucolic cottage atmosphere of the Tudors. One red-tiled charmer featured an array of antiques creating mid-century vignettes throughout: a red chrome 1940s-era table, a synthetic Christmas tree and a swingin’ retro “mobile bar.”

Other homes include touches of the whimsical. One house featured a Wizard of Oz window in the front door while another artsy ranch-style had the “yellow-brick-road” in the backyard.

After the tour, enchanted history buffs and HG TV addicts alike roam the street fair that transforms the neighborhood during tour weekend. Vendors will happily attempt to satisfy the newly acquired retro fever with antique rocking chairs and vintage ear bobs. Or if the restoration bug has really bitten you, plenty of realtors are on-hand, ready to ensconce you with gothic gables, original radiators and tartan windows, Oh My!

If you go

What:
The F.Q. Story Historic District 23rd Annual Home Tour

When:
December 1 (Saturday evening, 6 - 9 p.m.)
December 2 (Sunday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.)

Where:
This year’s tour will span from 7th Avenue to 15th Avenue on West Portland (one block north of Roosevelt).

Price:
$15 ($1 discount is offered with the donation of a can of food or non-perishable food item)

Tickets:
Available at 11th Avenue and Portland the day and evening of the tour

More information:
fqstory.org