‘THE CITY BEAUTIFUL’ HOME TOUR

ARCH and the Friends of the Parks of Allen County announce that they will hold “The City Beautiful: Arthur Shurcliff and the Birth of the Modern Neighborhood” on May 17, 2003 from 11am to 4pm. Sponsored by Lincoln Financial Group. This is a “Drive-it-yourself” tour of six homes in beautiful Wildwood Park and Lafayette Place neighborhoods and is designed to show off the efforts of early suburban developer Wildwood Builders, who hired nationally prominent landscape architect Arthur Shurcliff to design these planned communities in 1915. Shurcliff also designed portions of West Swinney Park, and it is included as a tour stop as well. Arthur Shurcliff is most famous for his designs for the gardens at Colonial Williamsburg.

Although platted and designed in 1915, both Lafayette Place and Wildwood Park were built over several decades, and housing styles range from Craftsman to Colonial Revival to Modern, Usonian, and Ranch. The featured tour homes reflect this diversity of architectural style, and the individual styles of the participating homeowners. Ticket proceeds will assist ARCH with its mission of historic preservation, and the Friends of the Parks of Allen County with its mission of stewardship for parks and public places.

Advance tickets are $8.00 for members of ARCH or Friends of the Parks and can be purchased at the ARCH office, 437 E. Berry Street. Advance General Admission tickets are $10.00/person and can be purchased at Baxter’s On Broadway, 1115 Broadway, and Nature’s Corner Antique Mall, 2307 Spy Run Avenue. Children under 12 are free. Day of tour tickets can be purchased at West Swinney Park, for $12.00/person. Brochures and maps can be picked up at this location as well.

West Central Neighborhood Association will hold an Ice Cream Social at this location from 11:00am to 4:00pm to raise funds for landscape restoration at Swinney Park.