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 A blend of old and new highlighted the annual Holiday House Tour sponsored by the Spring City Women’s Library Club recently.
The tour raises between $1000 and $1500 each year to benefit the Spring City Free Public Library.
Tour organizer Shirley Shaffer remarked, “It was the best one ever.” She added that she heard many people make similar comments.
Among the special attractions on the tour was a visit to the Bard Complex on South Main Street in Spring City. The historic building once housed the mills of Spring-Ford Knitting Co. and its predecessors. After a multimillion dollar conversion, it now houses 61 apartments for senior citizens.
About a year ago, the complex opened the doors to its first apartments, four of which were open for the tour. Residents of the complex served as guides, pointing out the many features of the facility. Each apartment has a considerable amount of storage space, and many, especially in the original building, have large windows allowing bright, natural light.
The residents association offers weekly bingo, exercise classes and other activities. A library offers a place for quiet reading, or residents may take the books to their apartments and return them when finished.
Another building on the December tour also featured the conversion of a historic building. The Lewis Group is housed in one of the remaining building of the former Buckwalter Stove Co. on Railroad Plaza, Royersford.
Buckwalter Stove Co. was started in 1866 when Francis Buckwalter & Co. began manufacturing stoves on the site. Once one of the largest stove foundries in the state, Buckwalter Stove Co. remained in business for 64 years, but it did not survive the Great Depression.
The Lewis building, built in the mid 1800s, has four floors. The top floor is the private apartment of company founder Tom Lewis and his wife, Donna. The open construction highlights the huge wooden beams and brickwork of the original structure, and the apartment also offers stunning views of the Schuylkill River.
The second and third floors are the corporate offices of The Lewis Group, and the first is leased office space. The first floor also features an atrium with a river view. Among the highlights is a huge conference table made from a work table salvaged from the manufacturing floor.
The holiday tour also featured a historic church and five homes scattered throughout the Spring-Ford area. The Mont Clare home of Kurt and Joan Callow offered an interesting mix of décor and collectibles, described by the homeowners as “rubbish rescued.” Each of the 14 rooms in the 1888 house had its own theme, and scattered throughout the house were the 200-plus nutcrackers collected by the Callow’s 10-year-old son, Cole.
Another Upper Providence home highlighted a crèche made by the homeowner’s father. Fresh greens and candles were found in every room, and the foyer Christmas tree was trimmed in silver and red, while the tree in the family room was decorated with handmade ornaments from the children and family ornaments from the homeowner’s childhood.
Two Spring City homes featured the unique touches of their interior designer occupants. A home in Royersford highlighted the homeowner’s Southern Living at Home collections.
Also on the tour was Spring City United Methodist Church, built in 1922-23. The stone church can seat about 400 people and features large stained glass windows.
Throughout the afternoon, the Spring City Women’s Library Club hosted a holiday tea at First United Church of Christ, Spring City, offering a variety of homemade cookies prepared by club members.
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