A 1920s Tudor renovation at 930 Valencia St. (Photo courtesy of Hollywood Heights Home Tour.)
Visit Hollywood this April without leaving Dallas at the Hollywood Heights Home Tour, featuring homes in what is considered one of the largest collections of stone-embellished Tudor cottages in the country.
The Hollywood Santa Monica Neighborhood Association will showcase five homes on the tour, which will take place from April 25-28. One such home is a renovated Tudor cottage at 930 Valencia St. Owner Kerri Bohan said she fell in love with the area while visiting friends as a child. Two decades later, she and her husband purchased their own home in the neighborhood.
“As a kid, we would ride our bikes into this neighborhood and spend after schools and summers here,” she said. “I remember picking out which house I wanted to live in. Seeing the stained glass windows, I loved it. They were charming, like a fairytale.”
Despite just missing open house, Bohan saw the listing online and decided to drive by the home while on an ice cream run in her pajamas. She rang the doorbell, and the real estate agent who answered the door was the parent of a former student Bohan had taught at Lakewood Elementary. Not long after, the Bohans closed on the house.
They remodeled the attic, extended the front porch and added an attached garage made with excess original stone they found in their backyard. The finishing touch on the five-bed, four bath house was a piece of stained glass created by a neighborhood artist.
“It’s definitely different because I never saw anything like it in the neighborhood, but it works aesthetically,” Bohan said. “It doesn’t make you pause. This is an example of what can be done and still work. I wanted to share it with people who were interested in conservation and preservation but were cool with new.”
The 3,300-square-foot home was chosen from 750 residences that make the Hollywood Heights and Santa Monica conservation districts. It is the third time the house will appear on the tour.
“It’s a family home, and I had a magical feeling when I walked in the first time,” Bohan said. “Last Christmas, we turned on old 30s music and danced in front of the tree with our new son. It sounds so cheesy, but I know he can grow up here in a special home.”
The neighborhood will kick off its 28th annual event April 25 with a casino night at The Filter Brewing. The party will be followed Friday by a candlelight tour and wine walk, where attendees can preview the homes without the crowd.
Tickets can be purchased for $20 on the Hollywood Santa Monica Neighborhood Association website. A portion of the proceeds will benefit area schools.Â
