HAMPTON-NEWPORT NEWS
Sponsored by The Hampton Roads Garden Club and
The Huntington Garden Club
Wednesday, April 23, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Chairman:
Amine Morgan (Mrs. John B. II)
14 Gary Road
Newport News, VA 23601
Telephone (757) 596-1371
Email: jbmorgan11@aol.com
Co-Chairman:
Lois Nichols (Mrs. Allen B.)
53 Ferguson Cove
Newport News, VA 23606
Telephone (757) 595-4945
Email: loisnichols@yahoo.com
INFORMATION CENTERS:
HAMPTON VISITOR CENTER
120 Old Hampton Lane
Hampton, VA 23669
Telephone (757) 727-1102 or toll free (800) 800-2202
NEWPORT NEWS VISITOR INFORMATION CENTER
13560 Jefferson Avenue
Newport News, VA 23603
Telephone (757) 886-7777 or toll free (888) 493-7386
FULL TICKET: $28 day of tour, or $25 advance purchase. Advance tickets available at SunTrust Bank, Hidenwood, 301 Hiden Boulevard, Newport News; and SunTrust Bank, Queensway Mall, 2 E. Queensway, Hampton. Single-site admission $8. Children 6-12 half-price; children 5 and younger, free of charge. Tickets may be purchased on tour day at any of the houses open for the tour. Advance tickets may be purchased for an additional charge by accessing www.VAGardenweek.org. Houses need not be visited in the order in which they are listed.
LUNCHEON: Hampton Arts will provide box lunches and beverages. The box lunches will be available 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for carry-out or dining inside the galleries at The Charles H. Taylor Arts Center, 4205 Victoria Boulevard, Hampton, VA 23669. The $8 box lunches must be reserved in advance by Friday, April 18, by calling (757) 727-1490 or online at Artscom@Hampton.gov. A limited number of box lunches will be available the day of the tour. Directions to the Charles H. Taylor Arts Center: From the West, take I-64 East to exit 267, turn right onto Settler's Landing Rd. Turn left onto Armistead Ave, then turn right onto Victoria Blvd. The Charles H. Taylor Arts Center is on the corner of Victoria Blvd. and Kecoughtan Rd. From the East, take I-64 West to exit 267, turn left onto Settler's Landing Rd. and follow the above directions. From Tour area: directions available at ticket tables.
REFRESHMENTS: Served in garden of Dorothy Rouse-Bottom, 1500 Chesapeake Ave., 2 to 4 p.m., weather permitting.
DIRECTIONS TO TOUR AREA: Take I-64 exit 265A, LaSalle Ave. Follow LaSalle Ave. until it ends (approximately 3 mi.), then turn right onto Chesapeake Ave., which is alongside Hampton Roads (the Bay). Look for signs to houses and garden.
RESTROOM FACILITIES: At the luncheon location, The Charles H. Taylor Arts Center, 4205 Victoria Blvd, Hampton.
SPECIAL ACTIVITIES: Art and Flowers. Fourteen of Hampton’s finest professional and amateur floral designers will create flower arrangements interpreting paintings in the exhibit, “Jean Craig Jones and Allan Jones Retrospective,” on view at The Charles H. Taylor Arts Center April 19-June 8. Arrangements will be on display Wednesday, April 23, and Thursday, April 24 (9 a.m. to 9 p.m.), and Friday, April 25 (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.) Light refreshments will be served. Admission is free and open to the public. The Charles H. Taylor Arts Center- 4205 Victoria Boulevard, Hampton, VA 23669. For more information contact (757) 727-1490 or ArtsCom @ Hampton.gov. For directions to the Charles Taylor Arts Center, see “LUNCHEON,” above.
3743 CHESAPEAKE AVENUE. The
Kochan home, originally built in 1948, was extensively renovated in 2004
to give it a “Carolina
Low Country” appearance. The house provides panoramic views
of Hampton Roads on one side and the marshes of Church Creek on the other.
Several porches offer retreats for enjoying breathtaking landscapes. Mrs.
Kochan, a Master Gardener, designed the beautiful gardens around her home
with native plants and shrubs in order to draw wildlife to this quiet, protected
marsh, first discovered in 1609 by early English settlers.
Inside are many lovely antiques collected by the homeowners. In
the foyer are a J.J. Elliott grandfather clock built in London in the 19th
century and a carefully crafted wrought-iron staircase handrail designed by
Williamsburg blacksmith Mark Sperry. The family room features expansive windows,
a cathedral ceiling, and a black and white compass rose built into the hardwood
floor. The large kitchen is designed for entertaining and contains an Aga oven.
The kitchen’s cream and muted red colors reflect the hues of the outside
landscape. In the master suite is an oval glass table with a bronze-sculpted
mermaid base and beautiful pistachio-green onyx vanities in the master bath. A
focal point in the dining room is the 19th century English linen press. A charming
guest house is nestled in the backyard, overlooking the creek. The goal
of the Kochans has been to create a harmonious balance between their home and
their lovely natural surroundings. April and Robert Kochan, homeowners.
Open for the first time.
2308 CHESAPEAKE AVENUE. This Georgian Revival
house built in 1949 was designed by architect Bernard B. Spigel. The residence
has two formal entrances, one facing Hampton Roads and the other fronting “the
Boulevard.” A massive oak more than 150 years old shades the
waterside; nearby is a greenhouse for growing exotic orchids. The front lawn
features mature oak and fig trees, boxwoods and flowering shrubs. The
front entrance steps are of Italian marble, and in the foyer is an impressive
circular stairway designed by Joseph Pereira as a replica of the main staircase
on the USS United States. The living room fireplace is German marble, and
the library fireplace is built of “apple rock” stone from Charlottesville.
The crystal and silver chandelier in the dining room is Florentine.
The renovated kitchen, designed by architect Gregory S. Brezinski and
carried out by Louis Ball and Son, features beautifully crafted cherry cabinets
and dark granite countertops. The owners have been very careful to keep
and maintain the original features of their home. Throughout the interior
are beautiful 18th century antiques collected from Europe. Wedgwood
jasperware and blue and white porcelain pieces are displayed on carved mahogany
bookshelves. Of interest are antique engravings depicting Queen Victoria’s
reign and Mr. McHenry’s collection of British military hats. Featured
in the book, “Hampton’s Olde Wythe,” this stately house combines
Virginia style with a distinctive European influence. Anne and Mike
McHenry, homeowners. Open for the first time.
1615 CHESAPEAKE AVENUE. This inviting
cottage-style house was designed by Jack Clifton and constructed in 1958. It
was renovated eight years ago by the previous homeowner, Roger Spadafora. The
eclectic interior mixes British Colonial, Asian, postmodern, contemporary
and French styles, featuring decorative pieces, china and furniture acquired
by the homeowner, an avid collector. The living room is enhanced by
the creative use of light. Mr. Menser designed and made all the window treatments
and crafted the tall light columns flanking the English sideboard, as well
as the illuminated display pillar behind the slipper chairs. The 100-year-old
floor chandelier is Austrian. The large Palace living room rug was purchased
in Istanbul.
The homeowner’s whimsical collection of cat décor items
adorns the powder room. The cozy sitting area adjacent to the kitchen was the
dining room of the original home. The bright kitchen’s backsplash
showcases hand-painted decorative tiles by Kaye Allen. The small kitchen hutch
was made for Mr. Menser’s mother by her father when she was a child. Mirrored
walls, an Austrian chandelier and a glass-top table create a light-filled dining
room. Part of a prized Rose Medallion porcelain collection is displayed in
this room. The visitor exits onto the creek-side patio, surrounded by
a landscape of wax myrtles, crape myrtles, hydrangeas and lilies. The
gated rose arbor leading to the front yard was designed by the homeowner; its
lines mirror the mansard roof of the house. Barry Menser, homeowner. Open
for the first time.
1500 CHESAPEAKE AVENUE, “LITTLE CELEY.” Garden
only. Various garden “rooms” surround this house built
in the late-1890s by Capt. John C. Robinson. Both home and garden were
rebuilt by the present homeowner. An open oval lawn on the street
side is hedged by hollies, roses, dogwoods and a lofty Ginkgo tree. A
pair of cypress trees from Upper Brandon Plantation flanks the area. Through
iron gates on the right of the residence, a lovely brick wall encloses a
side garden carpeted by red shale. This area’s warm colors reflect
the mellow brick and the Japanese maples. Asian lilies and irises are
planted for contrast; miniature roses edge the pool house wall. On
the waterside, a picturesque vista across Hampton Roads is the commanding
feature. The magnificent live oak has doubled in size after Hurricane Isabel
(2003) downed an ancient mulberry that dominated the adjacent space. The
garden is brilliant in June with plantings of orange, yellow and blue.
An octagonal dock pays homage to the old steamboat wharf that
formerly existed at Old Point Comfort. On the easterly side of the house,
a sunken garden designed by Stephen Pophal features an English fountain and
a goldfish pond. Carolina jasmine covers a trellis-topped brick wall surrounding
this peaceful area. Of particular note is the paving with hand-cut brick
circles. Exiting past the tool shed and garden house, the visitor sees a geometric
garden in the style of English gardener Rosemary Verey. An armillary
is central to this garden of peonies, irises, tulips, herbs and fruit trees. Dorothy
Rouse-Bottom, homeowner.
24 OSPREY. (A work in progress) This
cottage, a true “craftsman” house, was built in the 1920s on
the bank of Robinson Creek. Renovations following the original double-brick
construction were completed in 2007, making a seamless transition of old
to new. Capt. John C. Robinson, who built 1600 Chesapeake Avenue in 1888
and 1500 Chesapeake Avenue in the late-1890s, gave each of his children a
house as they wed; this cottage was one such gift. Gregory S. Brezinski,
AIA, designed the two-story addition. His plans were executed by Philip Lindstrom
so expertly that one cannot detect which doors are original to the house
and which were replicated. A new kitchen and dining area with views over
Robinson Creek marsh make a central welcoming area.
The rear staircase leads upstairs to the octagonal observatory, a peaceful,
quiet room with scenic views of Robinson Creek and of the Hampton Roads waterways
in the fall and winter months. The adjacent library boasts a wonderful
ceiling of rough-hewn timber selected from an Accomack, Virginia, lumberyard. Old
family pieces paired with newer furnishings throughout the house make this
cottage a cozy and restful hideaway.
Outdoors, the garage has been cleverly crafted to give the appearance
of a carriage house. When complete, landscape plantings will complement the
wildlife-rich marshlands that surround this property. This renovation has been
carried out with great attention to detail, as is the case with the homeowner’s
other property on the tour, 1500 Chesapeake.
Dorothy Rouse-Bottom, homeowner. Open for the first time.
1400 CHESAPEAKE AVENUE. This striking
Spanish Mission Revival house in the Wythe section of Hampton was built from
designs featured at the 1935 World’s Fair in San Diego. The
residence is featured in the book, “Hampton’s Old Wythe”;
its distinctive design has inspired the nicknames “Tugboat House” and “Ice
House.” The current homeowners moved in and started a complete
renovation in 1999. They have carefully kept to the original design and have
made many fine enhancements to the property. The painted brick exterior showcases
the unusual windows and archways which grace the entrance of this remarkable
house. The solid wood doors, floors and cabinets are all original to the
residence and have been beautifully restored. Family-heirloom antiques, artwork
and Art Deco pieces are displayed throughout the interior.
Several living room paintings by Mr. Buzard’s great-aunt depict
family members gathered for festive occasions. Iron tables in the living
room were hand-forged by family members in Philadelphia in the ’30s and ’40s. Watercolors
in the dining room were painted on paper bags by prisoners at a war camp in
Marseilles, France. The paintings were given by the prisoners to Mr. Buzard’s
father, an American soldier stationed in France during World War II. A
newly added third-floor observatory offers breathtaking views across the waters
of Hampton Roads to Norfolk. The backyard features a lush waterfront
landscape and a swimming pool. Visitors will sense that the homeowners have
taken great pride in making this appealing vintage home their own. Regina
and Max Buzard, homeowners. Open for the first time.
OTHER PLACES OF INTEREST:
VIRGINIA AIR AND SPACE CENTER,on the waterfront in downtown Hampton, at 60 Settlers Landing Road. Historic air and space craft are suspended from the Center’s 94-foot ceiling, and there is a five-story IMAX theater. The Center is also the official Visitor’s Center for the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA). Open Monday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For information call (757) 727-0900 or (800) 296-0800. Admission fee.
HAMPTON HISTORY MUSEUM, 120 Old Hampton Lane, Hampton. The new Hampton History Museum opened its doors in the spring of 2003. Nine permanent galleries cover the 400 years of the development of the city and surrounding area as the oldest continuous English-speaking settlement in America. Some 400,000 items highlight the contributions of Native Americans, English settlers, African-Americans and others from early forts and farms through the emergence of the modern city as a center of air and space research. The Hampton Visitor Center is here as well as a gift shop. Open 10 a.m.- 5 .m. Monday through Saturday. Admission is free.
LEE HALL MANSION, 163 Yorktown Road, Newport News. This Italianate brick house, once owned by wealthy planter Richard D. Lee, is now an historic house museum. Antique furnishings, wallpapers and window treatments reflect the splendor of the early Victorian period. Three years after its completion in 1859, it served as the Confederate headquarters for Generals Johnson and Magruder. An exhibit gallery features uniforms, weaponry and photographs of soldiers from the Civil War. The grounds of the mansion were a recent restoration project funded by The Garden Club of Virginia with proceeds from Historic Garden Week. Open daily. Admission fee. Take exit 247 off I-64. Gift Shop. Telephone (757) 888-3371.