Here is a sample of the exciting history, homes, and holiday decor you will enjoy on the Fredericksburg Holiday Home Tour, Holiday Home Tour - Saturday, December 3, 2011Noon - 6 p.m. Make your reservations today! Call 830-997-2835 for tickets and information! 

Holiday Home Tour $25 per person

View seven homes in and around Fredericksburg, all decorated for the Christmas season!

Hugh and Becky Reeves
103 East Schubert

Located in the heart of the historic district on the banks of Town Creek, 103 E. Schubert is a German Country style home designed by architect Steve Thomas and constructed by Steve Spangenburg. The property, the original site of the City Mattress Company, had been acquired by neighbor James Avery. He demolished the building, and the property remained vacant for 20+ years until 2007 when it was divided into two lots and put on the market. Hugh and Becky Reeves discovered the lots three weeks later and quickly negotiated the purchase. The Reeves presented architect Steve Thomas with a checklist of features they wanted in a home, including a stone façade with metal roof, a two story great room with exposed trusses and wooden ceiling, a gourmet kitchen, a deck with fireplace overlooking the creek, an oversized garage and a brewery where Hugh could enjoy his hobby of beer making. Steve incorporated all these features while adding his unique design touches to create a special country ambiance in the center of the city. The stone from the Sisterdale quarry has been weathered for over 50 years to blend with the stone of the 1880 houses across the street. The high Douglas fir trusses in the great room are mortise and tenon construction fastened with 1-inch hickory dowels. The ceiling is Texas yellow pine. The hardwood floors are hickory and the cabinetry is all knotty alder. The Reeves’ favorite room is the upstairs “tree house” deck overlooking Town Creek.

Mark and Susan Wheeler
206 West Travis

The Wheeler Home at 206 W. Travis was built in the early1920s. The original builder/owner was said to have been a salesman for a local pressed tin company. The home was used as a showcase for his work and different patterns of tin were used in each of the different living areas. Today the home's most beautiful and outstanding feature is this original pressed tin.
The Wheelers purchased their home in November of 2010 and have lovingly renovated it to its original condition, while updating the kitchen and bath areas. A remodel in the 1980's added a larger living area with a fireplace, and a larger master bathroom to the home. Another feature is the wraparound porch, and the front porch also has the pressed tin on the ceiling. Other interior features include long leaf pine floors and original double hung windows with the original glass. New granite countertops were added in the kitchen and the bathrooms.
A guest cottage was added in 1994 to host the children and grandchildren of the owner. The Wheelers updated the cottage to include a new kitchen with marble countertops. The interior of the cottage maintains the look and feel of the main home.
The landscaping was renovated by their son Travis, who is currently working on a horticulture degree from Texas A&M. He began the first phase this past spring, but says he has put everything on hold until he is certain the drought has passed. Mark is a general contractor and Sue is an artist and interior designer, and they thoroughly love their new “antique” home.

Eric and Jennifer Bryla
250 Homestead Drive

A mixture of industrial elements with vintage nostalgia, Eric and Jennifer Bryla’s home will provide the young family the open space they need for growth, organization, and entertaining.
Varied non-traditional textures and materials are used unexpectedly to create a clean, custom, and lighthearted feel throughout the house. The Brylas worked closely with architect Stan Klein and builder Russell Tabor of Craftsman Construction to achieve a cohesive backdrop for custom finishes and for vintage “found items” to be used as built-in fixtures. Reclaimed barn wood is used on some of the walls and ceilings and the floors are cement. The house was completed in October of this year. The 150-year-old glass doors leading into the master bedroom are unique as is the heated tile floor in the master bath. The consistent color palette Jennifer chose is the perfect backdrop for displaying the original artwork of Jill Holland. An abundance of large windows and doors provide a multitude of views and vistas. The large inviting patio and outdoor fireplace provide plenty of space for entertaining.
This home exists in harmony with the beautiful 15-acre property set with native and sustainable landscape design.

Danny and Jill Elliott
271 Smokehouse Road

The home of Jill and Danny Elliott was built around 1911. It sits on sixteen acres and features a hand dug well under the windmill. The original rock house had only four rooms. In the 1950s, the Moldenhauer family added a large downstairs kitchen and living area with the west fireplace wall constructed with salvaged rock from a nearby structure. A large, all-purpose room upstairs was also added, along with bathrooms upstairs and down.
The Elliotts, who had always dreamed of owning an historic rock home, saw a listing for the house one evening in the spring of 2007, googled the address and found that the house was only a stone's throw away from their first house on Post Oak Road. With the realtor the next day, they were greeted by a terribly dated, creature-infested home that had been neglected and empty for nearly five years. They were able to see past the shag carpet, brown paneling, rotted floors, and the sheetrock that covered every inch of the interior. With the help of Pat Smith's team, the house was gutted and the remodel begun. Once they got the house down to her original bones, the Elliotts added eight feet to the rear of the house, raised ceilings, replaced and/or refinished all the wood floors, custom built the kitchen and bathroom cabinets from salvaged wood, and added a large double back porch - just to list a few changes! They spent eleven months recreating the house into the beautiful historic home you see today.

Tom and Janice Christofferson
505 West Austin

Known as Town Lot 117 in the 1847 records of the German Emigration Company, this property was first owned by Fuchs Waise. It changed hands three times before being divided and sold in 1903 to Mrs. Meta Brandes Roehm, the young widow of a pastor at Bethany Lutheran Church. Her father, a carpenter, built the home in the late Victorian style for his daughter and young granddaughter.

In 1927 the home was purchased by Edgar and Erna Crenwelge and remained in the Crenwelge family for nearly fifty years. After buying the home in 1998, Lee Nelms Davis did extensive restoration of the original structure, completing a two-story addition in 2001. When the Christoffersons acquired the property in 2004, they enclosed the backyard with Victorian fencing. Subsequent projects included moving an old Model-T garage to the back of the property and adding an art studio above. A screened porch and patio were completed in 2011.

When early Germans built homes, they wasted no materials. Notice the pieced beadboard in the kitchen. Wooden spools attach the stair handrail. Original glass panes remain in many of the windows. Decorations for the holidays reflect the home’s simple farmhouse roots and the owners’ Scandinavian heritage. As you exit the house through the screened porch, you are welcome to see the owners’ 1923 Model-T Ford and visit Janice’s art studio above the garage.

Chris and Kelly McDaniel
514 North Adams

The original red tin roof at 514 Adams is one of the many compelling features of this one-story cottage within walking distance of Main Street. When the McDaniels found it for sale, the home had fallen into sad disrepair, but Chris and Kelly liked the street and location enough to make the purchase. They recruited the help of Roy Kramer and his partner Larry of K&W Builders to take on the restoration.

Adams Street has a wonderful history, so Chris and Kelly decided to keep the original house frame intact. Kelly sketched the plans, and Roy made it happen. With his help, they demolished the old kitchen, removed walls, added a fireplace, and built new cabinets. They removed closets from the hallway, letting in natural light, then provided an entrance to the new screened porch at the rear of the home. Additionally, the McDaniels designed and built a rock guesthouse for visitors and family.

To complete this country cottage, Kelly worked closely with a local retailer to create window coverings and bedding. The antique armoire in the kitchen is Kelly’s favorite piece from a nearby Fredericksburg shop. Just before the summer’s drought, John Webber designed and installed the sprinkler system allowing the McDaniels to cheer up the neglected yard with new trees and grass.

General Mike and Silke Hagee
1011 Homestead Drive

After 40 years in the Marine Corps and a few years in the Washington, D.C. area, the Hagees decided to move back to Mike’s hometown. The outstanding team of Cass Phillips, design, and Ricky Durst, construction, made for an enjoyable process building their home in Settlers Ridge.

Considering Silke’s Germany heritage, they wanted the original local German stone architecture, but with a modern, open feel. The main living area is adjacent to a large covered porch. Two additional round patios complete the outdoor living area. Wine is always close at hand from the wine room adjoining the kitchen area. The music room off the main foyer highlights the important part this art plays in the owners’ lives.

A separate study for each spouse provides the opportunity to display some of the memorabilia from their years in the Marine Corps. The master bedroom with access to the back porch and two separate bathrooms with walk-in closets makes for relaxed, easy living.The couple is proud to be a part of the Fredericksburg community and welcome visitors to their “Eichenwald Haus.”