By Teri Carnicelli

    It’s that perfect time of year, when the weather is cool enough to be walking outdoors for more than two minutes. That’s why it’s also the time of year when specialized home tours spring up in the Valley like beautiful, exotic blooms.

    The first to set off is the 2010 Willo Home Tour & Street Fair, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14. This tour features outstanding examples of Tudor, Spanish, and Bungalow style homes dating from the 1920s through the 1940s.

    Willo is just west of Central Avenue between Thomas and McDowell roads, bordered by 1st to 7th avenues. Trolley cars will carry tour participants to various stops on the tour, or participants can enjoy the traditional tour method of walking from house to house.

    A Street Fair at the event will offer handcrafted goods, unusual gift ideas, jewelry, antiques, and local artwork. Food vendors will supply a variety of munchies. In addition, live music will be provided throughout the day.

 

Tickets can be purchased the day of the event at the neighborhood park at 3rd Avenue and Holly. Tickets are $15 the day of the tour. Presale tickets are $13.75 on or before Feb. 13 and can be purchased online at www.willohistoric district.com.

A spicier flavor

    The doors to four spectacular homes in the Paradise Valley area will open to the public as a part of Friends of Mexican Art Hacienda Tour & Mercado scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 28, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

    Ticket holders for this special fund-raising event will be treated to an intimate look at these exceptional homes and the important art collections their owners have amassed from a variety of countries around the world. At the Mercado, local dealers in Mexican and Latin American art will have items for sale.

    Scheduled for the FOMA home tour are a North Central townhouse overflowing with colorful folk art from all over the world, including a two-story wall of masks that greets you as you enter the house; a home with an eclectic mix of Amazon Tribal head pieces, a nineteenth century oxen yoke from Spain, pillows made from Indian saris and rugs from Turkey and Morocco; a renovated hacienda with stone surrounds and fireplaces, all iron work throughout the home, and an impressive religious art collection in the living room from Mexico, Spain and Italy; and for something completely different, a fully remodeled and expanded 1970s tract home that showcases the modern sculpture of its owner, with a breathtaking view of Camelback Mountain’s Praying Monk.

    Hacienda tour tickets can be purchased in advance for $50 at the FOMA Web site: www.friendsofmexicanart.org. On the day of the home tour, call 480-275-5746 for the location where tickets can be purchased directly.

A hidden treasure

    Neighborly encounters south of McDowell, in the “hidden” portion of the Coronado neighborhood, inspired the upcoming home tour theme “Undiscovered Coronado,” set for 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 28.

    As one of the largest and most diverse neighborhoods in central Phoenix, Coronado remains full of little known treasures, such as February’s home tour destination featuring a block of 13 homes from the 1930’s in the Brentwood area.

    The Church of God in Christ, built by the Church of Latter Day Saints and now home to the largest African American church in the state, will display its recent renovation and preservation efforts.

    This tour will be a walking tour of a single neighborhood block, so no trolleys needed! There will be music, local food and craft vendors in the blocked-off street, and vintage cars on display. There will be free parking thanks to the Church of God in Christ, 1725 E. Brill St. (south of McDowell).

Tickets are $15 payable in cash or check the day of the event and can be purchased at the northeast corner of 18th Street and Willetta. Or purchase them in advance for $12.50 online at www.HomeTour2010.com.

A real favorite

    Rounding out the compacted tour season is Phoenix’s Windsor Square Historic District, which holds its 2010 Home and Garden Tour from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 7.

    Located at Central Avenue and Camelback Road in the central corridor of Phoenix, Windsor Square is one of the most sought-after historic neighborhoods in Arizona. The biennial event is a self-guided walking tour featuring 10-12 historic homes.

    Started in 1929, the 260-home neighborhood is considered to be one of the first few suburbs of the city of Phoenix. From contemporary or traditional interiors to lush gardens and the latest in transitional styles, attendees will see firsthand how people live in these historic, yet modern homes.

During the tour, participants also will be able to explore fine arts and crafts from street vendors, enjoy foods and hear live music. The cost for the tour is $12, and children under 12 are free. Tickets are discounted $1 if you show your light rail pass.

    Tickets will be available for purchase online at www.windsorsquarephoenix. org as well as day-of-tour at Medlock and 2nd Street, which is located one block east of Central Avenue and just north of Camelback Road. Free parking will be available. E-mail wshometour@cox.net with questions.