Tiffin's Victorian Weekend Holiday House Tour occurs annually on the first Sunday in December. This year, the tour is slated for 1-5 p.m. Sunday, featuring eight stops decorated for the holidays.
The buildings include the oldest home, an 1884 Second Empire red brick, an elegant 1896 Queen Anne-style home, a business establishment and train depot built in 1892, a 1920s brick bungalow, a church from the same period, and two 21st century homes - a condo and a contemporary Georgian-style brick.
Tour locations include:
The Livingstons
14 Clay St.
Judge George Seney built the 1896 Queen Anne home that exemplifies the features of the style, including towers and porches, a variety of building materials, unusual windows and chimneys and a third-floor ballroom.
Fact Box
If you go
Tickets are available at Signatures of Seneca County, 207 S. Washington St., and Tiffin Ace Hardware, 1550 W. Market St.
Visitors can purchase a ticket on the day of the tour at Tiffin Historic Trust's headquarters at The Grammes-Brown House, 172 Jefferson St. The map showing the tour sites is included with the ticket. Tickets are $10.
For further information, call (419) 618-0698 or (419) 448-9566.
Surrounding the front and east side of the house is a porch with a rock-faced stone ashlar and brick wall. The main entrance has a bracketed pediment, shingled and topped by a finial. A leaded plate glass window in the main door and a two-light window east of it feature a leaded stained glass section.
Charles and Lenore Livingston restored the home, which they bought from Burt and Gladys Brickner, who had purchased it from William Wilson in the mid-1940s.
Larry Breidenbach
36 Hudson St.
The Berlin Hotel once was described as "the most respectable disrespectable place in Tiffin."
Built in 1892 as a sporting house, it was known as the Hotel Berlin. It was a lively place around the turn of the 20th century, until law enforcement shut it down sometime in the 1920s. C.W. Kerschner bought the building in the 1940s and used it as a warehouse.
It recently was purchased by Larry Breidenbach, who has started to renovate the two-story structure.
Larry Breidenbach
65 N. Monroe St.
The Train Depot, built in 1892, served as a gathering place for people traveling the globe. When no longer in use by travelers, it became a home to vagrants, animals and ghosts.
Larry Breidenbach has spent several years working to return it to its role as a gathering place.
He refers to it as "Tiffin's best kept secret" and encourages visitors to stop by to view the landscaping and watch passing trains.
Robert and Dorie Bour
87 Clinton Ave.
The Ernst-Bour House is a brick bungalow, built around 1920 by local architect Charles Ernst as his residence. The house is near train tracks in the neighborhood commonly known as Clinton Heights.
Ernst is known for designing many Tiffin buildings, including the St. Paul's Methodist Church parsonage, the four-story Bloom Block at 106 E. Market St., the Church of Christ, formerly at 150 E. Market St., and the Charles Yingling residence at 148 S. Monroe St.
Ernst previously lived in the house next door, which he also designed and built. In addition to his building skills, Ernst was the superintendent of Enterprise Manufacturing Co., makers of window sash, doors and shutters, as well as commercial furniture and cabinets.
Robert and Dorie Bour purchased the home in 1990.
The Kerschners
510 Hedgegate North Court
Twenty-first century living is exemplified in the Kerschner condo, located in the Hedgegate Association, across the street from the entrance to Hedges-Boyer Park.
Built in 2006 by Zeis Construction, the home has a contemporary design with a modern, open floor plan, hardwood floors and a state-of-the-art kitchen.
With modern furnishings and clean lines, this home blends contemporary living with all the warmth expected at Christmas, including a fireplace and holiday designs by Tai Livoti. The home features multiple trees and a garland-draped cherry staircase.
Jim and Lois Eisenhard
523 W. Williamsburg Drive
The brick and cedar two-story Georgian home designed and
custom-built by Jim Feasel in 2004 provides the perfect venue for celebrating Christmas.
The soaring entry features a 15-light chandelier and open staircase leading into the foyer.
The large kitchen with custom-built cabinets includes a sizable island and eating area. The two-story family room with overlooking balcony comes alive with a 12-foot Christmas tree, and the greenery-trimmed fireplace provides a place to relax on a winter's evening.
Another full-size tree in the den is hung with Victorian ornaments. Even the marble fireplace in the master bedroom, is adorned with greenery.
Every room, large or small, includes a Christmas tree. Old-fashioned Santas also are featured throughout the house.
Methodist church
230 S. Washington St.
The Methodist church building on South Washington Street was dedicated in 1924. The building more than doubled the seating capacity of the church it replaced on Market Street, where Burns Electric now stands.
The new church was considered an architectural masterpiece, known as "the church with the lighted window." The window was a gift to the church by L.D. Creeger at an estimated cost of $2,000.
At this time, there are efforts to find a new role for the church building to play in the community.
Grammes-Brown House
172 Jefferson St.
Completing the tour is a stop at 172 Jefferson St. The nine-room, Second Empire-style home was built in 1884 by local confectioner and baker Peter Grammes.
The woodwork includes Arts and Crafts dining room cabinets. Antiques belonging to three generations of the Grammes and Brown families fill the home.
Rosina Brown, granddaughter of the home's builder, bequeathed the house to the Tiffin Historic Trust in 1988. It now serves as the headquarters for the organization.
Visitors will be offered a chance to rest and enjoy coffee and a German torte. Authentic German Christmas treats, including springerlies, gingerbread men and lebkuchen are to be available to purchase at the home.
The Grammes-Brown House and garden are open to by reservation for tours and private events.
