Here’s your chance to check out an architectural gem
Special to The Jefferson Herald
One of Jefferson’s most admired houses — and one of the town’s few Prairie-style structures — will be among the four homes Saturday on the Jefferson Garden Club’s Tour of Homes.
The home in the 300 block of South Chestnut Street was built for Percy and Dorothy Gray in 1917.
Percy Gray invented the Thermogray electric water heater, and began manufacturing the appliance in Jefferson in 1926. He owned and operated the Jefferson Electric Co., which supplied power to local homes and businesses from 1907 to 1924.
Curt and Rhonda Nelson purchased the home from the Bonnie Kendall estate in 2011, becoming the third owners of the three-bedroom, honey-colored brick beauty, which has a terra cotta tile roof.
They’ve spent the past three years renovating the home, working to conserve its original interior. A new kitchen is done in Earth tones favored by Prairie-style architects.
All three levels of the house will be open for the tour.
Other homes on the tour include a long and low 1960s ranch with a view of the Raccoon River valley; a renovated American Foursquare built in 1920; and a 1912 Arts and Crafts house.
Tickets for the tour are $8, and are available at The Printer’s Box, Home State Bank and Peoples Trust and Savings Bank in Jefferson, or from Garden Club members.
Proceeds fund the club’s beautification projects, including the Memorial Garden at the Raccoon River Valley Recreation Trail.
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