by Gayle Faulkner Kosalko
Come to the Whiting Arts Alive! Holiday Home Tour on Sunday, December 8th where you can meet the gracious hosts and appreciate the homes of five different Whiting residences plus the amazing church turned into a home by one enterprising couple.
See the St. John Lutheran Church Converted into A Residence Property
The huge brick church had been the home of St. John Lutheran Church since 1914. Its particular glory was its immense stain glass windows and beautiful polished oak wood everywhere. But as most churches felt the loss of numbers, so did St. John’s and with only a few members left, they sadly voted to close down the church. That’s when Thomas and Monica McKeown bought the great old building in 2010 and spent the next two years making it into their architecturally outstanding home.
And what was the glory of St. John’s still exists everyday as the sun beams through these luxurious windows which are now part of the home’s kitchen, bedrooms and throughout the main living and dining area. The house also features two bedrooms, a movie room and a master bedroom who duo bathrooms were renovated from the church’s Sunday School classrooms. And to top it off, the original bell in the tower still can be rung by hand!
Next visit the home of designer Pati Miller Manich whose 1925 brick bungalow was originally the home of a prominent furniture dealer in Whiting. You’ll notice that Pati’s living room and dining room are somewhat larger than most other Whiting homes. It seems that the original family often displayed their products right there in the house and one could buy the furniture right out of the house. But don’t worry, Pati won’t sell a chair out from under you although you have the ability to buy any of her designer original wreaths, settings, and other décor work on the day of the sale.
Next it’s the one home everybody in Whiting would like to visit…. it’s Whiting’s Queen Anne built in 1902. From the third floor window (where the backstairs lead up to the servant’s area) every Christmas you will see a child’s dollhouse, completely lit and set up waiting for Santa. It’s a sweet tradition here at the home of Arlene and John Toleikis as are the candles lit in every window of the 12 room house. All the crown molding and oak floors are original and the entry way has gorgeous original art deco leaded glass with huge jewels. They are the original regular double hung windows from the turn of the century. The whole house, inside and OUT, reminds you of being in a Lifetime Christmas movie.
These are just a few of what delights and decorative ideas await you at the Whiting Arts Alive! Home for the Holidays tour on December 8 from 3p.m. to 7p.m. Tickets are $10 and are available at the Whiting Robertsdale Chamber of Commerce and Mindbenders on 119th Street.
For more information about the walk or how to get tickets, call 219-742- 1648.
If you are a History Buff You Might Want To visit:
Calumet Revisited Lecture Series 2020
Home for the Holidays Home Tour – Whiting 2019
Chance of a Lifetime Tour Of Historic Community Center
Century of Progress Tour
Sleepy Hollow
Aukiki Historical River Walk
Bartlett Homes Featured at Garden Walk
Chautaugqua In The Dunes
LaPorte’s Annual Old Car Show
Read More about Christmas in Northwest Indiana:
5 Holiday Traditions – Thru Dec 31st – 5 Things to do For the Holidays Your Family Will LOVE!
Valparaiso Tree Lighting And Winter Fest – Nov. 30th
What’s on Theatre Stage this year Thru Dec 25th
Candlelight Tour in Laporte Dec 7th and 8th
Whiting’s Holiday Home Tour – Dec 8th
Winter Lights Drive Thru – Valparaiso Thru Dec 31st
Holly Days in Valparaiso – Friday, Dec 6th
A Christmas Story Comes Home – Hammond Indiana Nov 14th – Dec 31st
Christmas At Barker Mansion – Michigan City
FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS DRIVE THRU – Michigan City thru Jan 6th 2020
The Nutcracker – 5 shows
Susie Young Baxter, CEO, has published PanoramaNOW Magazine for 31 years. Her hobbies are Camping, Boating, Hiking, Nature, Gardening and Outdoor Activities. She is an Artist, Graphic Designer, an Avid Seamstress, Dabbles in Homemade Crafts and Landscaping. Since her Father was a Health Teacher, she also likes homeopathic Health Solutions. Since blogging started over 10 years ago, PanoramaNow has been added to Newsbreak – a national news affiliate.
