QQA 57TH Tour of Homes Returns to Mother’s Day Weekend and the Governor’s Mansion Historic District
QQA 57TH Tour of Homes Returns to Mother’s Day Weekend and the Governor’s Mansion Historic District
Little Rock, Ark. – The QQA (Quapaw Quarter Association) is pleased to share that the Tour of Homes is returning to Mother’s Day weekend this year, May 7-8. The 57th Tour of Homes will explore the Governor’s Mansion Historic District, six homes on the afternoon tours and an additional home for the Candlelight Tour on Saturday night. Tour hours are noon-4 p.m. Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets may be purchased in advance for $20 or on site for $30. For the afternoon tours cyclists can get a special ticket price of $15. The QQA is partnering with Rock Town River Outfitters; anyone interested in doing the tour by bike can rent one and take the tour for $40. Children 10 and younger are free. Tickets are on sale now at www.quapaw.com.
Amber Haugen, a Governor’s Mansion Historic District resident, is this year’s Tour Chair. She notes that, “I’ve been involved with the tour as a volunteer for many years and am thrilled to take the reins as the chair as it returns to my neighborhood. … Though our house is not on tour this year, it is still gratifying to see the interest in our community, knowing it is a key tourist destination for Little Rock residents and visitors since it is pedestrian friendly, has a lively commercial corridor and features a variety of architectural styles.”
A special preview party will be held 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, April 1, at the pool between the Jones Cottage and the Thomson-Fletcher-Taylor House, 1300 Broadway, adjacent to Mt. Holly Cemetery. Food and beverages will be served, and the band LLC will provide musical entertainment. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door. Buy tickets here.
This year’s houses include a variety of styles and vintages and include the Rogers House at 400 W. 18th Street, the Old Methodist Parsonage at 401 W. 18th Street, the Cochran House at 320 W. 18th Street, the Max Mayer Cottage at 317 W. 17th Street, the Pierce House at 1704 Center Street, and the Farrell House #2 at 2111 S. Louisiana Street. Complimentary trolleys will run along the route Saturday and Sunday.
The tour will feature a candlelight tour and dinner Saturday evening, May 7. It includes a tour of the homes from 5-7 p.m. and includes one special property, the Kirby House at 1221 Louisiana Street, only open Saturday night. Dinner will follow at 7:30 p.m. at the Junior League of Little Rock. It will feature a silent auction of several works and one commissioned piece by artist John Kushmaul, whose striking and popular paintings have chronicled Little Rock’s urban skylines and neighborhoods over a number of years. Tickets for the candlelight tour and dinner are $150. Dress is business or cocktail attire.
Also returning this year is the popular Sunday brunch at Curran Hall. It will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and includes food and drinks, including mimosas and Bloody Marys. Cost is $60 and tickets also can be purchased at www.quapaw.com.
QQA Board President, David Robinson, also a resident of the Governor’s Mansion Historic District, is looking forward to the tour. “After cancelling the tour in 2020 and scaling back the tour last year in the fall, we are excited to have the tour Mother’s Day weekend along with the extra features like the candlelight dinner and the Sunday brunch at Curran Hall.”
The first home tour was held in 1963, before the QQA was incorporated. “The Tour of Homes is our oldest function and our largest event each year,” says QQA Executive Director Patricia Blick. “Every tour is an opportunity to showcase and highlight a historic neighborhood, great properties, good preservation work, and bring approximately 1,000 people into an area some have previously never visited.”
Tickets are on sale and more information is available at www.quapaw.com. Information also is available by calling 501-371-0075, extension 3. All proceeds benefit the QQA’s historic preservation work.