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Community Corner

Gallery: Collegeville Holiday House Tour

Eight area homes were opened to the public on Dec. 15 as part of the first-ever Collegeville Holiday House Tour.

Over 300 residents toured eight homes in the Collegeville area on the afternoon of Dec. 15, followed by a reception at the Appalachian Brewing Company in Collegeville Station, sponsored by the Collegeville Economic Development Corporation (CEDC) and Jenny Greenwald of the Greenwald Flower and Plant Workshop.

The Claymont Drive home of Jack and Rebecca Allred was titled "The Lilly Pulitzer-Inspired 'Colorful House'," and it did not disappoint - every room was a different vibrant color. The Allreds met after being set up by a mutual friend who worked at Lilly Pullitzer, and their love for color is reflected in their home. A highlight was the dog room, which included a mirror sitting at the perfect height for the couple's boxers, Babe and Lily.

Bridgie and Walt Daller's Clayhor Ave home dates back to 1779, making it one of the oldest homes in the area. The couple moved into the home in 1975, and they have restored over the years, while raising their family in it. Most recently the kitchen has been renovated, which includes a refrigerator covered by wooden panels, as well as antique dish and rolling pin collections.

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Suzanne and Dr. Bobby Fong's home, the "Ursinus College President's House," hosted over 200 people for the college's faculty and staff reception just the night prior to the house tour. The Ninth Ave home, which was built in 1941, was renovated when the Fongs moved in, including a sitting room that recreates the look of an outdoor garden with a wood ceiling and a heated slate floor. The dining room - decorated with the Ursinus shades of red, black and gold, was decorated for a holiday dinner.

Howard and Martha Kriebel's home on Sixth Ave is a "Meticulous Replica of William Penn's 17th Cenutry 'Letiticia Home'." Howard Kriebel spent a year researching Penn's original house plan before building this replica with his son, which took over seven years. The house displays some furniture built by Howard himself, and his restored 1931 Model A Fords were on display in the back of the home. Many collections in the house are from Martha's family.

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The Clahor Ave home of Mary and Stephen Kyryk looked every bit the home of an interior decorator, as its title suggested. Mary, who previously worked in the medical device industry, recently finished schooling to become an interior decorator. The open and airy home features nine-foot ceilings, heavy crown molding and raised panel doors. There is a great emphasis on family throughout the home, as well as a focus on combining an appreciation for "the old and the new," placing antiques next to newly purchased furniture.

The Muhlenberg House on Main Street in Trappe, "Our Local Historic Treasure," is a well-known house in the community, as it housed Henry Melchior Muhlenberg and his family. The home did not contain a Christmas tree, which was custom for German immigrants. Most furnishings in the home were donated to the Trappe Historical Society by the Muhlenberg Family. Photographs were not permitted on the tour, and are not a part of this Patch Gallery.

When Beverly Redman and John Waterman's Sixth Ave home was destroyed by a fire just before Christmas in 2009, the family was inundated with generosity from local families, including clothes, casseroles, presents, and offers to spend Christmas with local families. With the help of Total Restoration, the Redman-Watermans rebuilt the home to be more open than it was prior to the fire, and the former screened-in porch became an office nook for Redman, who is an associate professor and chair of the Ursinus Theatre and Dance Department.

As empty nesters, Debbie and Randy found a Carmen Drive home in Collegeville Green to minimize maintenance and to be closer to their business, TR Insurance. The couple gut-renovated the kitchen to increase the ceiling height, creating a pantry and bar area for seating. Debbie said that the renovation allowed her to make the house exactly the way she wants it, and she decorated it using her personal style of "country modern with a twist."

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