Amazing West Grace Street

Flickering luminaries will beckon guests into six architecturally significant West Grace Street homes in Richmond's Fan District on Feb. 12.

Inside each house, lighted votive candles, Virginia wine and foods from nearby restaurants will set a romantic pre-Valentine's mood.

"A Taste of Grace" is the second annual West Grace Street Association house tour.

Visitors will be treated to complimentary appetizers in five homes and dessert and coffee in the sixth. Tastings from vintages supplied by Barboursville Winery also will be offered, and each guest will receive a glass with a West Grace Street logo to carry from house to house.

"We have a holiday house tour and a spring woman's club annual kitchen and garden tour, so this time period sets us apart," said Pam Embrey, the tour chairwoman. "It's in keeping with the theme of Valentine's Day and is sort of romantic. It works well with winter because it's dark and cold."

It also gives the association a chance to showcase West Grace.

"We're one block off of Monument Avenue, and in years past, we may not have had such a great reputation," Embrey said. "We want people to know that we have a fabulous block, that it's a safe and beautiful neighborhood."

Tour organizers have arranged to conduct recycling and composting at each home, making it an official "green" event recognized by the Virginia Green Industry Council.

This year's tour features:

•1821 W. Grace, home of Jo Baird and Joe Hutchison. This 1910 three-story home was converted into a seven-apartment flophouse before being restored to single-family status between 2002 and 2006, when it was purchased by the present owners. It has original floors, wainscoting, doors and reconstructed fireplaces. HIGHLIGHT: A side table in the front hallway, manufactured in 1915 by Biggs Antique Co. of Richmond.

•2003 W. Grace, home of Stephanie and Randy Jefferson. The house was built in 1915 by Newton Ancarrow for his wife and seven sons. In the 1950s, Grace and Pops Baldwin started a home-away-from-home for young businesswomen there. She wrote a book about her experiences and was featured on the HGTV show "If Walls Could Talk" several years ago. The Jeffersons bought the home in 2002 and spent five years renovating it — while living in it. HIGHLIGHT: Stephanie's basement pottery studio.

•2315 W. Grace, home of Mark and Katie Baron. Originally known as "Talavera," the spacious farmhouse was one of the original residences in the Fan (1838). Richmonders call it the "Poe House" because poet/author Edgar Allan Poe spent a summer visiting the home in 1849. The homeowner's daughter wrote that Poe spent afternoons with her at Talavera. It's believed he gave his last reading of "The Raven" in the front parlor two weeks before his death. Talavera housed Confederate soldiers during the Civil War and once was home to C.F. Sauer, founder of C.F. Sauer Co. The Barons purchased the home in 2010 and have begun renovation. HIGHLIGHT: Funky modern art.

•2500 W. Grace, home of Ed and Rebecca Mack. The oldest home on the block was constructed in 1898 in a Queen Anne architectural style rarely seen in the Fan. Elderly sisters kept it as a duplex and a triplex until a fire raced through the structure in 2001, causing extensive damage and forcing the home into vacancy. The Macks bought it in 2003 and began a renovation that retained the original front staircase, balusters and leaded-glass foyer window. HIGHLIGHT: The Asian-themed dining room.

•2713 W. Grace, home of Bob Engle. The first floor of this 1912 home will be open for the tour. The owner is a longtime Fan resident who bought the house in 1994. The home is outfitted in family pieces, antiques and eclectic appointments. A year-round courtyard retreat is nestled behind the home. HIGHLIGHT: A custom kitchen island crafted by Northern Neck artisan Becky Haynie. Its legs were crafted from the mast of the H.B.H. Hubbard, a menhaden fishing vessel drafted into service as a mine sweeper during World War I.

•2715 W. Grace, home of Tom and Linda Kranz. This warm, elegant home celebrates its 100th birthday this year. A duplex in the 1940s, it was converted back to a single-family residence by the Kranz family and previous owners. A 17-step staircase, 12-foot ceilings, original radiators and three working sets of pocket doors are among the architectural features. HIGHLIGHT: Numerous family pictures, historic photos and the "stairs to nowhere" that the Kranzes opened up.

jyoung@timesdispatch.com

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