Green Blades Garden Club hosts Tour of Homes fundraiser Saturday
Published 2:57 pm Friday, May 1, 2009
Warrior Hall
Old Chinquapin
This house, designed and built by Carter Brown, is unique in many ways. It was built from 13 lonely mountain cabins and boasts many open fireplaces and exposed timbers.&bsp; Its simplicity and good taste in furnishings with&bsp; appropriate antiques combined with all of the modern conveniences of today join to inspire appreciation of the achievements of our forefathers and of&bsp; the present generation.
The drive down the boxwood and dogwood lined winding driveway will take your breath away.
Warrior Hall
Warrior Hall is one of the preeminent historic estates of Tryon. Built by Shannon Meriweather in 1934, it was known as &dquo;Brookhill.&dquo; Located on 14 acres, this gracious estate is rich with historic significance and&bsp; masterful craftsmanship. The manor home features a stately foyer leading into the massive great hall with hand hewn beams and a carved fireplace.
The gardens feature stone walls and terraces and the Dawn Redwoods are a must see.
Harmon View
Everything about Harmon View, or sometimes called &dquo;The Erskine Barn,&dquo; combines the key elements of artful design and interior composition.&bsp; This&bsp; barn, a truly creative masterpiece, was built for the Pacolet Plantation in 1889. The present owners, having grown up with families that provided them with extraordinary imagination and benefits, have managed to create accents in this home that reflect their antique business and travels. While many changes have been made over the last 40 years, the ground floor still reflects the era of the stables with a large &dquo;stall&dquo; complete with iron bars and a massive wooden stall door.
The Cabins
The driveway of this property is a boundary line between North and South Carolina. A 100-year-old cabin with three charming rooms is on the North Carolina side and is decorated using Pierre Deaux fabric. The main house in South Carolina is a partially-preserved old farm house in the front.&bsp; The back part of the house is a new construction with a mountain view.
The current owner is also an award-winning miniaturist and eight of her miniature rooms will be on display.
StoneRidge
Built in 1925, StoneRidge has character and charm with the bonus of panoramic views.&bsp; The homeowners have created a refined but relaxed home using antique furniture, earthy fabrics and colorful finishes on the walls.
The kitchen, though highly efficient, retains a strong feeling of the past and the red faux finish on the dining room walls makes a bold statement.
The properties existing architecture was kept in mind when designing the gardens.
Lake Lanier Tea House
One of this area&squo;s vintage and popular dining spots is the Lake Lanier Tea House, located on the shore of the lake. It has been a favorite place to gather and eat in the beauty of the mountains with a wonderful vista of Lake Lanier.&bsp; It was built in 1924 and originally operated as a restaurant serving workers building the dam on the lake. The Tea House has been honored to serve presidents Eisenhower, Nixon, and Clinton as well as many colorful characters from the stage, movies and the literary world. During World War 11, it served as a place for the soldiers of Camp Croft to dine and swim before shipping overseas.&bsp; Today the Tea House continues its long tradition of providing you with a dining experience befitting of &dquo;The Grande Dame&dquo; of Lake Lanier, and the restaurant will be open for lunch from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. the day of the tour.
The home tour is a biannual fund raising project for the Green Blades Garden Club&squo;s many area beautification activities, including the Park on Trade, Hospice of the Carolina Foothills, Tryon Town Hall Plantings, Thermal Belt Outreach Ministry, Tryon Fine Arts Center Christmas decorations, Morris Corner and Steps to Hope&squo;s Adopt-a-Family.
Tickets for the Tour of Homes can be purchased on the day of the tour at&bsp; the Park on Trade, located across from the Ford Dealership or at any of the Homes on the Tour.
For more information, please call Liz Norstrom 828-894-2296 or Judy Warden at 864-457-3451.