7. Historic House Tour
The Historic House Tour in December shows how our town has combined the best of the old with the best of the new.
The house tour has always been the crowning event of the Town Club year. This year, to mark Mountain Lakes 100th anniversary, the Town Club and Mountain Lakes Centennial Committee have collaborated to create the Mountain Lakes Historic House Tour, featuring six examples of the Hapgood homes that are Mountain Lakes’ hallmark. The event, to be held from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, December 9th, includes homes carefully selected not only for their historic architecture, but for their owners’ work preserving and furnishing them in ways that showcase their original charm. Tickets are available at the Mountain Lakes Library until 5pm on Friday, December 9th.
This year’s tour of homes includes the very first home settled in Mountain Lakes – a home some may recognize from a popular old photo of a clam bake attended by the town’s earliest residents. An extensive renovation completed in 2000 added a foyer and family room in the back of the house, modernized the kitchen and created a master suite and bath upstairs. All of these enhancements carefully integrated the original Hapgood and Arts & Crafts features with the needs of today.
A 1913 Hapgood home is an example of Herbert Hapgood’s Foursquare 1 plan, which consists of two units or squares of living room, and one square each of kitchen and dining room. This home, which was originally two stories, has been expanded with the addition of third story dormers. The homeowners have attentively furnished the home with Arts & Crafts Era furniture, lighting fixtures, rugs, draperies and wallpaper, including some with patterns by William Morris.
A Center Hall 2 Hapgood home has the confusing history of now having an address on a different street than originally planned. While visitors will enter through the house’s current address, the original front door, still majestically preserved, is at the other side of the house. A second Center Hall 2 plan Hapgood home features original parts and pieces thoughtfully rescued from a Hapgood Home that was being demolished. The Center Hall plan features a grand entry stair dividing the dining room and kitchen on one side from the living room on the other.
A “Spite House” on the tour is so named because it sits sideways on the street – the story being that the Spite Houses were so situated so that Herbert Hapgood could ask for two loans on the same house from two different sides. This gracious 1913 home has a warm and welcoming front porch and accommodates modern living while keeping the integrity of the historic house.
A house whose property includes the only remaining original boathouse on Mountain Lakes is sure to leave a lasting impression. The combined experience of touring the home carefully decorated with vintage finds and then venturing to the scenic backyard with the lovely gabled-roof boathouse is sure to take visitors back to yesteryear!
These six houses represent an expansion of the number of houses that are normally on display. Another treat in store will be carolers at one of the homes to further set the festive tone. In short, all the stops are being pulled to make sure that history is on display at its finest this centennial year. Tickets are available at the Mountain Lakes Library or through the Town Club website.
Themocracy
Thank you for this wonderful event. I lived in ML from 1946 to 1965 at 63 Ball Road. A wonderful place to live and learn.
Looking forward to attending one or maybe two of the events although I now live in Florida.
I’m very much looking forward to coming from Burlington County to some of the events, including the house tour. We lived at 35 Pollard Rd. from ’53 to ’70. It was an idyllic place to grow up. I’m still in touch with friends from my HS class of ’65. Thanks for all your work on these events!
I’m very much looking forward to coming from our home in Burlington County to some of these events, including the house tour. We lived at 35 Pollard Rd. from ’53 to ’70. Mt. Lakes was an idyllic place to grow up. I’m still in touch with friends from my HS class of ’65. Thanks for all your work on these events!
I would so love to be attendance at any of the upcoming centennial events, but living in Florida now does make it difficult. We lived at 57 Melrose Road from ’52 to ’65. I keep in touch with a number of fellow MLHS class of ’65 friends. Looking forward to receiving the centennial book too!
Wonderful! I lived at 15 Dartmouth from 1952 before moving to California for good in 1966. I have been back a few times including the great class of 59′s Fiftieth, and have been graciously welcomed by the current owners of our home. I would love to tour others and rekindle old memories. Hope I can return for the event.
I lived at 365 Morris Ave. from 1968-1970, and on Howell Rd. from 1970-1972, when I graduated from MLHS. My Dad died when I lived at the Morris Ave. house, so my Mom & I moved to the smaller house on Howell Rd. until I finished HS. I would LOVE to see the houses on the house tour, and hope you will have a way to buy tickets by mail, since I live in Princeton now. I look forward to revisiting the past.