TICKETS ON SALE FOR JUNE 18 HISTORIC HOME TOUR IN GARDEN CITY
Tickets are on sale for Finney County’s 2017 Historic Homes and Buildings Tour, offering an opportunity to explore the past by visiting five structures linked to the community’s heritage.
The tour, which takes place every other year, is set from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. June 18, hosted in partnership by the Finney County Historical Society and the Finney County Women’s Chamber of Commerce. The tour is sponsored by Envision Real Estate, Golden Plains Credit Union, Edward Jones Financial Advisor Lora Schneider and Territorial Magazine.
Admission is $15 per person. In addition to visiting inside each designated tour stop, ticket holders may attend a concluding ice cream social on the outdoor patio at the Finney County Historical Museum, running from 3 to approximately 6:30 p.m.
Tour sites include:
- The Senator William Thompson House, 902 N. Sixth
- The Finnup House, 405 N. Ninth
- Garden City’s railroad depot at 112 Depot Street
- A 1930-era Craftsman bungalow at 610 N. Third
- The Huber home at 645 Wheatridge.
Guides from the women’s chamber will host guests at each site, and ticket holders are welcome to visit the locations in any order.
Tickets may be purchased with cash or check the day of the tour at any of the stops. They’re also available in advance at the museum, 403 S. Fourth Street in Finnup Park; Baker Boot, 211 W. Kansas Avenue; Signatures, The Salon, 519 W. Mary; Wharton’s, for Every Bloomin’ Thing, 906 N. Tenth; and Adams Real Estate, 501 N. Main.
THRESHOLD OF HISTORY
The Senator Thompson house, dating to 1906, was the home of U.S. Senator William H. Thompson, a Kansas judge and attorney who represented Kansas in Congress from 1912 to 1919. Facing west at Sixth and Hackberry, it is owned by Bill Stephens. Built in Neoclassical style, with Greek revival columns, it was restored by the owner and his late wife, Neta, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Finnup House belonged to a family that played a leading role in Garden City for more than 100 years. Located southwest of the Finney County Courthouse, it was purchased by George W. and Alta Finnup in 1922, 20 years after building the adjacent home at 401 N. Ninth. Owned and maintained today by the Finnup Foundation, it includes many pieces of furniture crafted by Frederick Finnup, George Finnup’s father and an early-day settler who lived from 1840 to 1914. The house was also home later to Frederick and Isabel Finnup, son and daughter of the George and Alta Finnup, and grandchildren of the first Frederick Finnup.
The original Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe depot, a brick structure with pagoda-style roof, was built in 1907 and serves today as Garden City’s Amtrak station. It was restored by the City of Garden City in 2001-2002 and includes a number of original interior features. Standing nearby is a sculpture honoring Luticia “Lettie” Fulton, whose flower garden inspired Garden City’s name.
The Craftsman house on Third belonged to various families between 1930 and the present, and represents a post-Victorian architectural style noted for clean lines, open soffits and overhanging eaves, wide porches, window bays with multiple panes and sashes and extensive built-in features. The present owner, Brian Nelson, has devoted extensive time to restoration.
The Deb and Robin Huber home on Wheatridge is a mid-century modern split level dating to the 1960s. Located in an area built as one of Garden City’s most up-to-date and prestigious neighborhoods, it has undergone extensive upgrades, as well as two additions and a major remodeling.
The self-directed tour serves as a benefit for both the historical society and women’s chamber, and those who attend are encouraged to attend the concluding ice cream social at the museum.
