This year’s Candlelight Christmas in Ryan Place Home Tour is one fans won’t want to miss. In addition to the usual intriguing mix of five unique houses, there will be live music in tour homes and throughout the neighborhood from the likes of the Texas Wesleyan Choir as well as bands including Music Junkie, Basement Apes, and others.
This year, the portfolio will include familiar houses given refreshing updates and a new build that is a real conversation starter in the historic Fort Worth neighborhood.
The Englander Home
The home at 1111 Elizabeth Blvd. is that rarest of rarae aves, an old house (built in 1916) that has been loved, tended, and thoughtfully updated by successive owners.
The original owner of the house was George W. Armstrong, founder and president of Consumers’ Light and Heat Company, which ultimately became Fort Worth Power and Light. From 1935 to 1955, the home served as the parsonage for the First Methodist Episcopal Church. Listed in the National Registry, the house is also a Fort Worth Historical Preservation Award winner.
The current owners have retrieved original structural details like a lost window in the living room which had been converted into a bookcase. The kitchen and three baths have been updated and the enclosed sleeping porch has was given a vaulted ceiling, adding drama. The house sits on a double corner lot which is now enclosed by a handsome masonry and wrought iron fence.
The Nickelsen-Ballard Home
The 101-year-old Nickelson Ballard home has experienced a long chain of ownership and many ups and downs in its fortune. In 1922 the lot was purchased from The John C. Ryan Land Company for $3,750. That’s about $70,000 in today’s money. Good luck finding a lot in Ryan Place for that price now. In 1926 the house sold for $15,000. Nine years later, at the height of the Great Depression, it was sold for half price.
On tour seven years ago, I have followed progress on its rehabilitation from when every brick was stacked on the ground. The then derelict property had the great and good fortune to fall into the capable hands of the premiere builder and restorer Brent Hull, trained in the art of museum-quality preservation at the prestigious North Bennet Street School in Boston. His portfolio includes work on the Tarrant County Courthouse and the Santa Fe Pacific Terminal and high-profile residential projects running into the hundreds in Fort Worth’s historic neighborhoods.
The current owners continued the robust improvement of the house including a complete renovation of all four baths, a rework of the primary suite, upgrades to lighting, and extensive landscaping.
The Smith-Tovar Home
Nothing focuses the mind more than a hard deadline. Yes, that is unpainted wood topping the columns propping up the arched broken pediment. It’s been painted but walking by yesterday with my dogs, I observed a busy team of painters hard at work, open windows, and an array of tools spilling out of the open garage. That’s pretty close to my experience when our house was first on tour.
The house was built by the John C. Ryan Land Company in 1927 and has been undergoing renovation since its purchase in 2020 by Ann Smith and Ed Tovar. Their goal was to add modern amenities while respecting the bungalow’s period charm.
Improvements include a complete kitchen overhaul with a large island, rainbow limestone counters, and an exposed brick chimney. Robbing 75 square feet from the hall enabled the creation of a laundry room. Original oak and pine floors have been stripped and refinished as well as the original double hung windows-now operational. Restoration is at full force including nearly every surface from vintage bathroom fixtures to the living room fireplace.
The Papa Home
Without dispute one of the grandest houses in Ryan Place, the Papa House is celebrating its centenary this year. The house is the work of architect Wyatt Hedrick, who designed Will Rogers Coliseum and the Shamrock Hotel in Houston among many other notable commissions.
The residence is conceived in the extravagant Italian Renaissance Revival style. Indeed many of the building materials were Italian imports including the majolica column faces and the marble that covers the lively arches springing from them. The bricks are glazed and the deep eaves are capped by a beautiful green Ludowici tile roof. The imposing house is sited on a double lot complete with a pool and pergola added by the current owners who have also renovated the kitchen.
The Westhoff-Moore Home
Definitely the odd one out, the Westhoff-Moore house is the bold conception of owner architect Jeff Westhoff who seems to be enjoying the dialogue and controversy his construction is provoking. He’s heard it called a storage unit, dog kennel, and even prison — all of which seems to have provoked mirth in the owner. Through it all he has adhered to his strict vision, which was to build a small, 1,400-square-foot residence with a low carbon footprint where structure and landscape are in harmony. Materials feature stone, steel, and concrete blocks. This is one I can’t wait to check out.
The tour will take place this Saturday, Dec. 2 from noon to 9 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 3, from noon to 5 p.m. Tickets may purchased online or on the day of the tour at St. John’s Anglican Church.
