Lynn and Hans Rechsteiner will begin celebrating the holidays early this weekend, when they open their home, Ellwood, to an expected 5,000 visitors for the 25th Annual Marietta Pilgrimage Christmas Home Tour.
The couple are avid preservationists who have renovated several historic residences in the Whitlock Avenue Historic District, where the tour will take place.
But Ellwood, built in 1867, has been their dream project since they bought the Greek Revival-style home in 1992 and began the formidable task of restoring its original grandeur.
“The home was overgrown and in need of extensive restoration,” Lynn said. “It’s difficult for most people to envision what goes into a project like this.”
It took nearly two years before the structure was habitable, and additions came in phases. Along the way, moldings and windows were reproduced and replaced, chimneys rebuilt, heart pine floors refinished, and new central heat and air, wiring and plumbing added.
The result of all that work is both historically significant and pleasing to the senses, witnessed by the fact that Ellwood’s charms have been featured in books and magazines and on HGTV’s “Restore America” series.
One recent rainy afternoon, their home was glowing with Christmas lights and the scent of pine filled the air as the Rechsteiners put the finishing touches on a week’s worth of decorating and tweaking in preparation for the Pilgrimage.
“This is our first year on the tour,” Lynn said, “but the house was in need of a little lift and it gave me a good excuse to clean out some stuff and spiff it up again.”
Lynn, who grew up in Marietta and works in accounting and real estate, has an artistic side, along with an enthusiasm for antiques that’s expressed in the many Federal and Early American pieces she’s collected to furnish Ellwood’s 16 rooms.
For Christmas, Lynn crowns the doorways, staircase and mantels of each of the home’s 10 fireplaces with pine bows mingled with boxwood and magnolia leaves gathered from around the property.
Originally from Switzerland, Hans is a self-employed engineer who’s undertaken all manner of restoration jobs under Lynn’s direction, including reconstructing a crumbling brick smoke-house they turned into a garden shed.
“It works out really well,” Hans said. “She’s got the eye for it, and I do the work.”
But the driving force behind Ellwood, and most of the other places the Rechsteiners have taken on, is a shared passion for historic preservation.
“I’m a big preservationist,” Lynn said. “If you want the truth, it’s the reason why I committed to doing the tour. There’s still a lot of work to be done on preservation in Marietta, and I want to bring more attention to that.
“Beyond that, we live here, and we’re proud of Ellwood. It’s our home for our family and children.”
Marietta home tour
The Marietta Pilgrimage Christmas Home Tour features six private historic homes in the Whitlock Avenue Historic District decorated for the season. Day tours: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Dec. 3, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Dec. 4. Candlelight tour (with three homes): 7-9:30 p.m. Dec. 3. Tickets, $15-$30. Marietta Welcome Center and Visitors Bureau, 500 Powder Springs St. 770-429-1115, mariettapilgrimage.com.
Other holiday home tours
Here are glimpses of some more metro Atlanta holiday tours.
Roswell -- throughout December
Christmas in historic Roswell is celebrated all month long with a series of special events, including holiday tours and open houses, music, theater, art and even re-enactments of Mittie Bulloch’s Christmas 1853 wedding to Theodore Roosevelt. Of course, the Southern Trilogy sites -- Bulloch Hall, Barrington Hall and Smith Plantation -- are all dressed up for the season and open for tours. Historic Roswell Convention and Visitors Bureau, 617 Atlanta St. 770-640-3253, visitroswellga.com.
Peachtree Garden Club -- Dec. 8
Peachtree Garden Club’s annual Christmas tour features four homes in the exclusive northwest Atlanta neighborhood around Garraux Road and Nancy Creek Road. They include an English country-style home decorated by Lou Stormont Interiors, a French-style home designed by architect Barry Fox, and a traditional home situated on the Chattahoochee River. $25-$30. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 8. Advance tickets available online and at local businesses, including Boxwoods, 100 E. Andrews Drive N.W., Atlanta. 404-233-3400, peachtreegardenclub.org.
Grant Park -- Dec. 10-11
The Grant Park Candlelight Tour of Homes in Atlanta’s largest historic district showcases Victorian, Craftsman, Italianate and many other styles at nine different stops, including the antebellum-style Lemuel P. Grant Mansion, built in 1856. In addition, St. Paul United Methodist Church, built in 1906, begins the tour and hosts an artists market and bake sale with hot apple cider. $15-$20. 6-10 p.m. Dec. 10-11. 501 Grant St. S.E., Atlanta. 404-688-7501, candlelighttourofhomes.com.
Virginia-Highland -- Dec. 10-11
The Virginia-Highland Tour of Homes is a two-day event featuring glimpses of eight different homes in a wide variety of periods and styles, including an example of modern international architecture. The neighborhood’s vibrant restaurant scene is highlighted by tastings from local restaurants, such as Atkins Park, Goin’ Coastal and La Tavola. $25-$30. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Dec. 10; noon-4 p.m. Dec. 11. Tastings noon-4 p.m. both days. Advance tickets available online and at local businesses, including Intown Ace Hardware, 854 N. Highland Ave., Atlanta. 404-874-5619, vahitourofhomes.org.
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