Following a two-year pause, the Virginia-Highland Tour of Homes made a comeback last weekend. Saturday, Oct. 1, Horner Homes presented six unique homes of notable architecture and interior design within the neighborhood to raise funds for the Virginia-Highland Civic Association.
“The neighborhood has taken a big hit on our big fundraisers,” Virginia-Highland Civic Association’s Meghan Pendergast Dean told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution before the event. “For almost two years, the civic association wasn’t able to bring in much money due to COVID-19. We are excited to be back and help fundraise for important things such as our parks, trees and homeless initiatives.”
Bringing the tour back has been no small task for the association.
“From a planning standpoint, it has felt nearly impossible at times,” Dean said. “We have had to plan and reschedule the tour two times due to surges in cases. We have had such supportive home owners who have continued to keep these new dates on their calendars. It’s also been harder to get sponsors considering times are tough and nobody knows what’s going on with the economy. Lastly, we had to cut the restaurant tastings out of the picture. This made us sad since it was such a fun part of the tour, but the restaurant industry is struggling with staffing, and it just didn’t seem fair to ask them to provide such a big service. Not to mention, we aren’t sure if everyone is completely comfortable having buffet style tastings in large groups yet.”
This year, the Virginia-Highland Tour of Homes made joining in on the fun easier than ever by launching a new website and interactive app, allowing tour goers to interact with sponsors, save design ideas and vote on their favorite homes.
“The bright side of having almost three years to plan a tour is that we have made some really exciting changes,” she said. “In years past, we relied on a paper ticket/booklet. This booklet was nice for providing a magazine style of looking at houses and sponsors, but it felt a little wasteful considering so much went into printing the booklet. It caused a lot more time and energy to do the layout and we had to have all of our media, sponsors, etc. committed in advance. This year, we moved to an online app and a new website. The website syncs with the app, so all changes are made simultaneously. Also, it allows tour goers the opportunity to see the houses and the sponsors ahead of time and interact more with them prior to the tour.
“See a contractor sponsoring a house you like, great, click the link and it takes you to their webpage and you can contact them directly. While this took a lot of time to build and re-envision on the front end, we hope that it will make future tours a lot easier in planning — not to mention, we will save a lot of money over the years on printing costs.”
Architecture and interior designer lovers had six big reasons to come down to Atlanta last Saturday, Dean said.
“All 6 of these homes represent the spirit of Virginia-Highland,” she said. “This year, we were able to incorporate a mix of old and new homes but all of the owners have a deep love for their community. This can be seen in the style of homes, the original craftsmanship maintained in renovations, as well as the use of local businesses to finish and furnish the interiors.”
All proceeds of the Virginia-Highland Tour of Homes went to the Virginia-Highland Civic Association. The non profit organization is hoping to earn enough funds to renovate John Howell Park.
“The Civic Association has been working hard to raise funds to renovate John Howell Park,” she said. “Tragically, we unexpectedly lost our civic association president, David Brandenburger, last month. He did so much for the neighborhood and we would not be here without the support of the tour. He was always in charge of the Parks department for the VHCA, so while funds go toward a couple of initiatives, I would like to think we can make him proud by raising money for John Howell Park renovation this year.”
“Walking around a beautiful neighborhood is a great way to get some exercise and enjoy one of Atlanta’s best weather months,” she said. “The homes are all beautiful. It’s a great way to find design inspiration. The Tour of Homes is how my husband and I found our architect, builder, and designer that we later used for our own renovation. It’s also fun to glimpse into someone’s home and see different styles of art, decor, landscaping etc. It’s a really fun event and gives back to our wonderful neighborhood!”
The tour was a success, earning over $40,000 for the community.
“The tour was amazing,” she said. “We sold over 900 tickets and raised over 40k — all of which goes back to the neighborhood for things like The John Howell Park renovation, the Firehouse renovation, beautifying the neighborhood, grants to local schools etc. As mentioned, it was the first year that we moved to go paperless due to the app. This helped us in our efforts to reduce waste and become more sustainable.”
The Virginia-Highland Tour of Homes is done for the year, but those looking to help support the community can still donate to the Virginia-Highland Civic Association. Donations can be made here.
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