The Grandview Heights/Marble Cliff Historical Society presents its 15th triennial Tour of Homes from 1 to 5 p.m. Oct. 2.
The tour route features six homes, four in Grandview Heights and two in Marble Cliff. The featured stops include houses on Bluff, Grandview, West First and Arlington avenues; Cambridge Boulevard and Lincoln Road.
"The homes on the tour are notable not only for their architecture, but it's also the people who lived there over the years and the events that have happened in these houses," said Karen Riggs, the historical society's vice president and tour coordinator.
"Grandview Heights and Marble Cliff is known for its beautiful homes, but for each home on the tour we research the biography of the house and the stories we find are fascinating.
"We look to include homes on the tour that are aesthetically pleasing and have curb appeal. They're homes that when you see the exterior, you want to go inside and see what the interior looks like. And these homes are beautiful both inside and out."
Visiting the homes show how succeeding owners have added their own imprint on the structures while maintaining the exterior architectural quality, said Kent Studebaker, who is serving as house captain for the Cambridge Boulevard home.
The current owners of the Cambridge home have added a window wall at the back of the house offering a panoramic view of the backyard, he said. A former enclosed porch has been opened up and converted into living space.
A former carriage house on the property was redesigned as a guest house and visitors can also tour that building on tour day, Studebaker said.
"From a historic perspective, a son of one of the former owners of the home was well known as a display designer for Lazarus (stores) and has a scholarship at CCAD named after him," Studebaker said. "I don't know if he lived in the home after his parents moved out."
The current owner of the tour home on Lincoln Road was doing renovations and found a letter in a wall that was written by a teen who lived in the house during the 1950s. It was intended to be read by a future generation, she said.
"We will have that letter on display on the day of the tour," Riggs said.
Visitors will have the chance to explore the intricate interiors of each tour home, she said.
House captains, some of whom are current homeowners, arrange the docents for the tours and help with the research for the house biographies included in the tour brochure, Riggs said.
"It's an easy walking tour to visit each of the homes," she said. "Each of the four Grandview homes are located on the west side of Grandview near Marble Cliff."
Participants in the tour can visit the homes in any order they choose. Tickets are $15.
A VIP ticket costs $45 and includes brunch at Agave & Rye, 1295 Grandview Ave. followed by an early bird tour of the homes, Riggs said. The brunch and early bird VIP tour is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased in advance at ghmchs.org/home-tours or on the day of tour at a registration area at 1621 W. First Ave.
After the event, the route featuring all six homes will be added to the society's History Walks, an app-based walking tour of sites in Grandview and Marble Cliff.
"You'll be able to download the tour route on the app and, although you won't be able to visit the interior of the houses, you will be able to walk by and view their beautiful exteriors," Riggs said.
The app is free and available at grandviewhistorywalks.org.