Media contact: Priscilla L. Hunter, 312.344.7805, phunter@colum.edu or Micki Leventhal, 312.344.7383, mleventhal@colum.edu
Spend a wonderful day exploring beautiful homes along the southeastern shores of Lake Michigan, in the heart of the Michigan and Indiana lakeshore community.
Chicago, July 2003--The Art of Home Tour is presented by Columbia College Chicago as part of its month-long Michiana Festival of the Arts. The Tour includes visits to as many as eight distinctive private residences specially selected for their unique interior or landscape design, architectural ambiance or art collections. The Tour will take place on Saturday, August 9th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., CDT. The cost is $85 per person.
The Tour will commence at one of Indiana's restored antique barns at 3003 N. Route 35 in LaPorte, Indiana. Guests will receive tour packets and enjoy a light brunch. Some of the homes featured are:
The gracious and elegant country estate of Dr. and Mrs. David Kessling. The entrance boasts a charming gatekeeper's house and beautifully appointed barns and grounds.
Charlie Finley's, large two-story federal style former estate and horse farm. The grounds are spacious and perfect for entertaining, with a gazebo and large guesthouse with well-groomed barns. Finley is the former owner of the Oakland "A's."
The Swift Neslon home is a montage of house, gardens and art. Referred to as the "Farm" by the present owners, the residence has been recreated so the gardens and the house work in harmony, bringing the outdoors in--and the indoors out. From the house, gardens and studio barns, a world of international art can be seen in every aspect of this home.
The home of Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Lindborg is a stately mansion on LaPorte's "Indiana Avenue," in the Historic Landmark District. Built in the early 1900s by one of the wealthy merchants of LaPorte, this spacious and elegant home was built with entertainment in mind.
The Chalet is a beautiful mansion located on Lake Michigan. From the extensive stonework on the exterior with many levels of stone terraces, to the beautifully paneled interior, each space is uniquely designed and crafted by artists. The exterior setting, as well as many interior rooms, maximizes the view of Lake Michigan.
To volunteer as a home tour guide for the Art of Home Tour and receive two free tickets for the Tour, call the volunteer tour hotline at 312.344.7002.
The Art of Home Tour is sponsored in part by Alliance Banking Company, Abby Yanni Fine Furs Outwear, His Way, Print Management Group, Inc., Gold Coast Tickets, North Bank, and Whittaker Woods Gold Community.
Proceeds from events and activities of the Festival will support local arts programming such as the Dunes Arts Foundation, as well as scholarship funds at Columbia College.
Columbia College is the nation's largest visual, performing and media arts college. Located in the heart of Chicago's South Loop, Columbia blends the best of theory and practice in a dynamic and diverse urban environment.