The “before” photo
Last year on the Swiss Avenue Historic District home tour, as we approached one of the homes on Bryan Parkway, the volunteer docent pointed out the above photo of the house we were about to enter. It was the “before” photo of the home, a common sight on this tour that peeks into stately mansions built at the turn of the 19th century.
The docent pointed out the 9-foot fence around the home in the “before” photo. It was a common sight along Swiss Avenue and Bryan Parkway in the late ’70s and early ’80s, he said, “telling the world this is not a good place to be.”
“That’s not true anymore,” the docent continued. “And all it takes is neighbors working together.”
Inside, the new homeowner enthusiastically answered questions about his house and the work he had done to remodel it. When homes are 80-, 90-, 100-years-old and fiercely protected by historic district guidelines, it’s always a labor of love to fix them up and even to simply live in them.
Kudos to the Swiss Avenue Historic District homeowners, both for sharing their homes with us every year and for being an example of of a tight-knit community that works together to make a difference in their community and their city.
This year’s home tour is this Saturday, May 8, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday, May 10, noon-6p.m. All of the details, including home previews, ticket costs, how to take advantage of the shuttle bus and details about the Mother’s Day brunch, can be found on the neighborhood’s website.
The home today
