Weber County’s annual Historic House Tour back after 2020 cancellation
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- The exterior of the Warner House in Ogden, as seen from 25th Street on Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021. The home is one of seven to be featured during the Weber County Heritage Foundation’s annual Historic House Tour, happening Saturday, Sept. 18.
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- Taylor Knuth shows off an original pocket door at the Warner home, 726 25th St., on Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021. The home is one of seven to be featured during the Weber County Heritage Foundation’s annual Historic House Tour, happening Saturday, Sept. 18.
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- An original cast-iron, bronze-plated Newsom and Newsom fireplace mantel and surround is pictured inside the Warner Home, 726 25th St., on Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021. The home is one of seven to be featured during the Weber County Heritage Foundation’s annual Historic House Tour, happening Saturday, Sept. 18.
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- This undated photo shows the John and Amy Corlew House, 2683 Jefferson Ave., in Ogden. The home is one of seven to be featured during the Weber County Heritage Foundation’s annual Historic House Tour, happening Saturday, Sept. 18.
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- This undated photo shows the Eccles Community Art Center, 2580 Jefferson Ave. in Ogden. The structure is one of seven to be featured during the Weber County Heritage Foundation’s annual Historic House Tour, happening Saturday, Sept. 18.
OGDEN — After being canceled last year due to COVID-19, Weber County’s Heritage Foundation’s annual Historic House Tour is back this Saturday. The Historic House Tour has been an annual event for 43 years.
This year, the tour will be centered around the Warner Home, located at 726 25 St., and six other surrounding historic Ogden homes.
Each year, the tour highlights different architectural aspects of what makes Weber County architecturally unique, opening private residences to the community.
Last year, the current owner of the Warner Home reached out to the Weber County’s Heritage Foundation in hopes of opening their doors for the public tour. However, due to COVID-19, it wasn’t feasible, according to Kate Stewart, WCHF president.
The current owners of the 131-year-old Warner House, Taylor Knuth and his partner, consider themselves stewards of the house – sharing the aim to ensure that the site remains in the community for generations to come.
The Victorian Eclectic-style Ogden homes — which were largely built around the turn of the 20th century — are always the largest draw for the public, according to Stewart.
“Whenever we do the Victorians, we have anywhere from 600 to 1,000 attendees,” Stewart said. “Every year when we do Victorian or turn-of-the-20th-century residences, people come out in droves.”
One feature of the Warner House that Knuth believes will be a draw for the community is its cast-iron, bronze-plated fireplace surround and mantle, one of about 20 built and shipped out by the Newsom and Newsom brothers of Chicago.
“It’s one of the only houses I can think of with a copper turret,” Knuth said, “that distinct, kind of onion-domed feature, which was inspired by the Orpheum Theater at the time of it’s being built.”
Stewart suggests that all visitors — even if they have been vaccinated — come prepared with masks.
“We will not be going to be asking for vaccination cards. However, we are asking people to mask up if they haven’t been vaccinated,” Stewart said. “Since these are private residences, we’ve also left it up to the homeowners to decide if they would like to everyone who visits their home to be masked up.”
Another new aspect of this year’s Historic Home Tour is the availability of the Weber Wander app.
The app provides historic information for each site on the tour, which will guide the community through the residences, providing additional historic information, such as photos and a recorded voice acting as a virtual tour guide, Stewart explained.
Tourgoers will check in at the Eccles Community Art Center, located at 2580 Jefferson Ave., where they will be provided with mandatory foot covers and wristbands for the event.
The tour is a go-at-your-own-pace event. Stewart suggests attendees plan two hours for the event.
The residents of these homes, which were built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, will have their doors open for attendees from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
To buy tickets go to, webercountyheritagefoundation.com/housetours.
Tickets also are available at the Eccles Community Art Center for those who prefer to purchase them in person.