For 43 years, the Benton House Tour of Homes has been a stalwart east side tradition. Started in 1973, the year the Benton House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and 100 years after it was built, the Home Tour is a major fundraiser to keep this treasured property maintained. The Sept. 18 tour this year promises to inspire and inform guests about the rich past of this historic neighborhood.
This year’s tour of homes emphasizes how good things come in smaller packages. Bungalows and smaller homes are sometimes overlooked in home tours, but the cozy spaces of Irvington definitely shine this year. Two pre-World War II bungalows next to each other (831 and 835 N. Leland) are examples of how great construction principles, a super neighborhood, and creative owners make smaller spaces truly their own.
One of the great things about Irvington’s homes is the wide variety of architectural styles. Prairie Style is beautifully represented at 5159 E. Pleasant Run Parkway S. Drive in a home built in the 1920s.
Another architectural style Irvington is known for is the Victorian Queen Anne, and the home at 5738 Oak Ave. is a shining example of this elegant type of home. The home has a number of original features that bear a closer look.
Light and peacefulness come to mind with Arts and Crafts architecture, and 5954 Dewey Ave. has both in abundance. The owner has lovingly restored the floors and doors, as well as the gardens around the house which had been destroyed by pet goats (only in Irvington!).
The Benton House, 312 S. Downey, itself is on the tour, and everyone is invited to see how the president of Butler University lived around the turn of the 20th century. Built in the Second Empire style on a wooded lot, the home has been lovingly restored and maintained by the Irvington Historic Landmarks Foundation and the Benton House Association for decades. Funds raised by the annual Tour of Homes, renting the space out for weddings, anniversaries, parties, and other celebrations, and donations help to keep the house maintained for future generations to enjoy.
Another Butler University related building, the Bona Thompson Memorial Center at 5350 E. University Ave., is an important tour stop. Built as the library for the University, the building was completed in 1903 and has had many functions — and was saved from the wrecking ball. The graceful interior houses art exhibits and museum displays, as well as special events. The Bona can be rented for special events, such as weddings and anniversary parties.
Irvington is more than just homes, though, and the Benton House Tour of Homes showcases two sites that are very important to the fabric of the historic neighborhood. Stop by and see the majestic Kile Oak at 5939 Beechwood Ave. The mighty burr oak is the largest tree of its kind within a municipality in Indiana, and estimated to be well over 300 years old. Lovingly tended to by volunteers of the Irvington Garden Club, the site is a Backyard Wildlife Habitat and a haven for native plants. Irvington’s past is also preserved at the Wilson Parker Pioneer Cemetery at 5120 Julian Ave. The little cemetery holds the remains of early settlers in Irvington, and has been restored by the Warren Township Trustee and faithful volunteers in the community.
Get tour tickets in advance for $12 at Ace Hardware (10th and Arlington), Black Sheep Gifts (5626 E. Washington St.), and Bookmamas (9 S. Johnson). Tickets the day of the tour will be available at the Benton House for $15. The tour runs from noon-5 p.m. rain or shine.
