THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, April 4, 1996 TAG: 9604020139
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JOAN C. STANUS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
If you've ever yearned to peek inside some of those stately Ghent homes or stroll through a few of the neighborhood's impeccably manicured gardens, you'll get a chance April 25 when Norfolk garden clubs sponsor their annual home and garden tour.
Five Norfolk couples will open their homes for the tour, sponsored by The Garden Club of Norfolk and the Harborfront Garden Club. Another couple, Dr. and Mrs. John H. Furr, also will serve refreshments in the garden of their home on West Princess Anne Road.
Among the furnishings featured in the five Ghent homes will be collections of Civil War artifacts, 18th century antiques, Oriental art objects, antique portraits and family heirlooms.
As a special event, refreshments will be served during an exhibition of watercolors on old Norfolk by noted artist Kenneth Harris at The Ballentine, a 100-year-old residence on Granby Street that now serves as a home for the elderly. That will be held from 2 to 4 p.m.
Norfolk's two historic homes - the Moses Myers and Willoughby Baylor houses - as well as the Hunter House and the Hermitage museums also will be decorated for the tour.
Getting a glimpse of the private residences, however, will be the main event. Included on this year's tour through the Ghent neighborhood will be:
The residence of Mr. and Mrs. Carter B.S. Furr. Among the furnishings in their Williamsburg-inspired brick home, the Furrs have an extensive collection of Civil War artifacts, including a mourning veil used by the widow of Confederate President Jefferson Davis.
The residence of Capt. and Mrs. Peter Fullinwider. A life-sized stuffed ostrich greets visitors at the door to this home, filled with treasures collected during the owners' world travels. Rowena Fullinwider is owner of the gourmet food manufacturer Rowena's.
The residence of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Covington Jr. The Covingtons have salvaged many antique architectural embellishments to give their home an air of old-world charm and craftsmanship.
The residence of Mr. and Mrs. Stuart C. Stone. This 1917 Classical Revival house has been the home for three generations of this Norfolk family, who have filled it with antiques, portraits and collectible porcelains.
The residence of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Paul Conrad Jr. The stately Georgian-style home is furnished with 18th century antiques and has a garden room that overlooks a walled garden and a garden house.
The last stop on the tour will be the home of Dr. and Mrs. John H. Furr. After a tour of their garden, refreshments will be served.
The tour will be begin at 10 a.m. and last until 4 p.m. Advance block tickets for all five homes cost $11, if purchased before April 11. Afterward, the cost is $12.
Individual admission for each home also can be purchased for $4. Tickets will be available at each of the private residences the day of the tour. Advance tickets also can be purchased by contacting Mrs. Rufus McBrayer, 7447 St. Francis Lane, Norfolk, Va. 23505.
From 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., lunch will be served in the parish hall of St. Andrew's Church on West Princess Anne Road. Cost is $6.50 per person.
The Norfolk tour is part of the the Garden Club of Virginia's 63rd annual Historic Garden Week in Virginia. In addition to Norfolk, other garden clubs throughout the state - and in Hampton Roads - also are sponsoring tours.
As the sponsor of one of the largest house and garden tour programs in the country, the Virginia clubs have raised more than $5 million in proceeds from their annual tours to restore historic gardens and grounds throughout the state. Among those restored have been Thomas Jefferson's garden at Monticello, the grounds at Montpelier, the landscape setting at the Old Courthouse in Portsmouth and the garden restoration at the Adam Thoroughgood House in Virginia Beach.
More than 45,000 visitors tour Virginia homes and gardens across the state during the weeklong celebration. by CNB