Owners of some of New Westminster’s finest heritage homes are decking the halls for a worthy cause.
The Queen’s Park Healthcare Foundation, supported by New Westminster Heritage Preservation Society, is holding a Homes for the Holidays tour of five heritage homes on Sunday, Dec. 8 from 4:30 to 8 p.m. Tour participants will be able to get some décor inspiration and shop for Christmas gifts along the way, with all proceeds going to Queen’s Park Care Centre.
“They will get to go through the whole main floor of a house,” said Colleen McDonald, coordinator of Queen’s Park Care Centre’s gift shop. “Three houses will be carrying merchandise from the Queen’s Park care centre gift shop – cash only.”
At other stops along the tour, people will be able to purchase books related to New Westminster: ARide to Remember; Grace, Grit and Gusto – Profiles of Remarkable Royal City Women;and Royal City – A Photographic History of New Westminster.
The tour features five homes that have been on previous heritage home tours, but this time they’re dolled up for the holidays. Homeowners who are participating in the tour are throwing themselves into the project wholeheartedly.
“One person is taking a week off work to do their decorating,” McDonald marvelled. “These people are hard at work already.”
The featured homes are: the 1912 John Hicks House (211 Seventh Ave.); the 1891 Thomas Thornton House (315 Princess St.); the 1905 J.J. Johnson House (125 Third St.); the 1887 Sidney and Marion Fletcher House (117 Third Ave.); and the 1913 Edward and Lavinia Savage House (502 First St.)
To ensure that 300 people don’t show up at one house at the same time, tickets have a designated starting point.
Tickets are $20 and are available at the Queen’s Park Care Centre gift shop (315 McBride Blvd.); Royal City Colours (700 12th St.), Cadeaux (467 East Columbia St.) DeDutch Pannekoek House (Columbia Square), Brick & Mortar Living (50 Sixth St.) or online at www.qphf.org.
