Preparations for this year’s annual Holiday Homes Tour are now complete, with the Tour set for Thursday, Dec. 6th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. A 52-year tradition of the McLean Woman’s Club, the event will focus this year on four large, elegant homes in conventionally varied styles on large lots in four sought-after neighborhoods – Langley Forest, River Oaks, Odrick’s Corner (off Lewinsville Road) and McLean Hamlet. Each home will have been decorated with the holidays in mind and to highlight family life in McLean. Parking is easily available near the four homes.
In addition, the Tour house in River Oaks (Arbor Lane) will host a Holiday Boutique, including sales of jewelry and accessories, handmade wreaths, gift baskets and donated new commercial products. This will be in addition to a silent auction there of gift certificates from First Stage, J. Gilbert’s, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Clyde’s, Fleming’s, Smith’s of Bermuda, The Village Grill, The Lebanese Tavern and other local businesses.
All proceeds from the Tour will benefit local charities and nonprofits, such as Share, Inc; Second Story (formerly Alternative House), Capital Caring, The McLean Project for the Arts, Claude Moore Colonial Farm, Fisher House and the McLean Volunteer Fire Department, as well as underwriting scholarships and education.
Ticket booklets are on sale at Mesmeralda’s of McLean, 1339 Chain Bridge Road; Karin’s Florist, in Vienna, 527 Maple Ave., East; and Great Dogs of Great Falls, 9859 Old Georgetown Road. Tickets will also be available at the tour houses on Dec. 6th. Cost is $30 before Dec. 6th (the day of the tour) and $35 on Dec. 6th. The ticket booklet contains addresses and detailed descriptions of each house, along with an area map.
Tour Houses
House 1 (Langley Forest).
This 6,800-square-foot brick Colonial (on a 0.82-acre lot) was built in 1986 and has had several additions. The home has five fireplaces, six bedrooms, five full baths and one half-bath. It has a large attached garage, a wood deck, a 512-square-foot pool and an open porch. The lower level walk-out contains a theater room, an exercise room and wet and dry bars. The two-story home reflects excellent construction quality, according to county listings.
House 2 (River Oaks).
This residence, custom-built in 2014, sits on a flat, half-acre lot in an area known for its pastoral environment and convenient location. The 10,000-square-foot home has an open floor plan with two kitchens, a morning room and a formal living room. There are 10-foot ceilings on the main level and 9-foot ceilings on the second and lower levels. The home has six bedrooms (four ensuite), a multifunction lower level and an oversized deck and screened patio.
House 3 (Odrick’s Corner).
This home’s site has a historical connection to an 1872 farm in the area owned by Alfred Odrick, a former slave and namesake of the adjacent park. This massive, multigabled home was built in 2003 as the model for the Bellmeade subdivision off Lewinsville Road. It has seven bedrooms and six-and-one-half baths. Visitors will enter through handmade, bronze double doors to white marble flooring and four chandeliers in the foyer and dining room. The house will be extensively decorated, maintaining both family and Christmas traditions.
House 4 (McLean Hamlet).
This lovely traditional brick Colonial lies at the end of a long cul-de-sac in McLean Hamlet, a neighborhood of 507 homes in various styles along tree-lined, winding streets. Since it was built in 1967, the home has been altered, redecorated and upgraded numerous times by the present owners, who have lived there since 1981. They created a master bathroom suite, added a bedroom, bathroom and play room and built a sun room that overlooks a landscaped backyard with patio. The home has four bedrooms, three baths, one half-bath, three fireplaces, a spacious lower level and an attached garage.
For more information: 703-556-0197 or www.mcleanwomansclub.org.
Photo credit: Laura Sheridan, Woman’s Club.
