NEWSLETTERS

17th Annual Historic Home Tour

Mark your calendars and plan to attend this year’s 2006 HPF Home Tour!
Eight unique homes will open their doors for touring on Saturday, September 23rd from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Many of these buildings have been extensively restored and updated, each with its own unique character. Enjoy discovering the wide array of interiors and architectural styles our area has to offer.

Ticket prices are $15 each or 2/$25 for non-members, $10 for members and children under 12 or seniors 60 & older. Tickets are available the day of the tour at any of the homes and you may begin at any of the sites listed below. As you enjoy your tour, please observe the restrictions posted at each location.

Docents Needed
Docents are needed to help homeowners present their homes and renovation stories during the upcoming 2006 Home Tour. Docents are assigned to act as a guide in one home for a maximum of a 4-hour shift. As a thank you for your time, you will receive a ticket to enjoy the entire home tour yourself and evening festivities following the event.
To volunteer for this exciting way to support the preservation of our heritage, please call tour coordinator Susan Miller, 715-839-9491 or email us at info@eauclairehpf.org to volunteer.

We’d love to have your natural enthusiasm and talent during the annual fundraiser. Join us this year for the Annual Home Tour and discover for yourself how much fun being a docent is!

In conjunction with the Landmarks Commission, HPF has afforded the digitization of old photos from Eau Claire. The collection of photos depicting everyday life, homes and business in the Eau Claire area was completed and is available on computer record for generations to come.

In coordination with the Chippewa Valley Museum HPF has been instrumental in the research of commemorative plaques designated for the new Phoenix Park.  These plaques document the history of the people who immigrated to the Chippewa Valley. If you have not been down to Phoenix Park, GO! It is a jewel in downtown and truly represents new life emerging while respecting the history of the area.

After approximately 20 years of being organized, HPF found a need to organize its own history and files. The board of HPF found that each office has been saving every piece of paper with an HPF title on it. Compiling these files and sorting through them was no small task. This effort was complete by Melissa Holmen who served as an intern for HPF.

In addition to newsletters being produced, hunting down houses for the annual house hunt, preparation of histories on home tour houses and production of the HPF website, www.eauclairehpf.org, HPF was instrumental in the preservation of Olesen’s Livery in the Phoenix Park area. Slated for demolition last April, Olesen’s is one of the few remaining liveries in the state of Wisconsin. Meeting with the Redevelopment Authority and other city departments, HPF urged them to hold off on demolition in the hopes a developer could be found with an interest in re-use of the building for a business. We are pleased that plans are in place for redevelop Olesen’s into a restaurant.

It was a fast but productive year for HPF and we hope for another year of preserving Eau Claire’s past for its future.