CommunityNews

Fincastle Historic Garden Week Homes on the Tour

The following homes are featured on the Fincastle Historic Garden Week tour on April 30, 2022

The Reynolds Home  1789 Gravel Hill Road

The Reynolds Home, built in 1839, is a Federal-style farmhouse situated on ten acres of pastoral landscape.  Purchased by William and Electra Reynolds in 1882, it has been occupied by five generations of the Reynolds family.  A large addition was added in 2005.  Furnishings include English and European antiques and carpets.  Kaye Reynolds Lowe and Alan Harper Lowe are the current owners.

Wind Flower Farm  185 Wild Rose Way

A Frank Lloyd Wright-style prairie home, Wind Flower Farm rests atop a 25-acre mountain plateau. Built in 2003, the home’s design  has an open floor plan with tall ceilings and large windows which provide a 280-degree view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Frank Lloyd Wright features include stained glass fixtures and furnishings include numerous American antiques. Outside, there is a potting shed and a pergola, as well as vegetable and flower cutting gardens.  Lissy Runyon Merenda and Dan Merenda, owners.

Prospect Hill  420 South Church Street

 Built high on a hill just south of Fincastle in 1818 by John Gray, Prospect Hill has views of both the town and the mountains. Constructed in the traditional board-sided Federal style, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 as one of only two houses in Virginia built with those specific architectural characteristics. On both levels of the home, the front and rear windows and doors are perfectly aligned. This design is a nod to the classical lines of Federal architecture.  Interiors include the original white pine floors and restored wood carvings. Valerie Lucas, owner.

Solitude 108 Main Street

This Federal style house c.1820 with gingerbread detailing is located in the heart of downtown Fincastle. Ron Lucas and his son, Jason, completed an extensive renovation and modernization of it in 2005,  The gardens include heirloom peonies, multiple perennial beds and extensive hardscaping integrated into the landscape design, including a lap pool. During the garden renovation the owners discovered blue glass medicinal jars, animal bones and gigantic molars buried in the soil. The interiors include American and Italian ceramics and local artwork.  Charlotte and Robert Hagan, owners.

Santillane  99 Housman Street

One of the most distinguished homes in Botetourt County, Santillane c. 1795, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its architectural design and connection to the Lewis and Clark Expedition. This Georgian brick home occupies 24 acres on a commanding hill outside of Fincastle.  This magnificent property is such a perfect depiction of history and beauty that an image of the home was selected for the cover of the Historic Garden Week Guidebook. The interior features a collection of original art by Edouard Cortes, Harold Little (a local artist), and various 18th-century portraits.   Angela and John Sengson, owners

To purchase tickets in advance

vagardenweek.org /tours/roanoke.

Submitted by Beth Sayers and Pam Moskal