Experience the beauty and history of the Fresno High Neighborhood

With the holidays at our doorstep, we can look forward to decorating our houses with twinkling lights, wreaths and garland, sparkling tinsel and the smell of gingerbread.

If you need inspiration, the Fresno High Neighborhood Association has your back. The Fresno High Neighborhood Holiday Home Tour is returning for the 21st year.

Since 1995, the holiday home tour has invited the community to experience the beauty and history of the Fresno High Neighborhood.

“We want people to see the uniqueness of the neighborhood,” said Ashley Parker, chair of the Fresno High Neighborhood Association.

The holiday home tour features four homes in the neighborhood. It was created as a way to “bring people into the neighborhood,” Parker said.

But as the holiday home tour expanded, Parker said the goal of giving back to the neighborhood was added.

Proceeds from the holiday home tour benefit the anchor of the neighborhood: Fresno High School. The neighborhood also includes areas like the Tower District and Fresno City College.

Parker has been drawn to the neighborhood for as long as she can remember. Her uncle and aunt lived in the neighborhood, and her cousins attended Fresno High School. They were part of the inaugural holiday home tour, she said.

Parker moved into the neighborhood while she was earning her B.A. in interior design at Fresno State. In fact, two years ago, her home was featured on the holiday home tour. Built in 1951, her home is a mid-century ranch made by Taylor-Wheeler.

“It’s very different from the neighborhood,” Parker said of her home.

Taylor-Wheeler was founded by Orville R. Taylor and Dennis Wheeler in the late 1920s. As a company, the pair produced a number of homes in the Central Valley.

Featured on the holiday home tour are four homes:

▪ Martin Oftedal and Trent Barry own a two-story Mediterranean-style home with a tile roof and lush landscape.

“He’s very traditional,” Parker said of Oftedal.

▪ The Corson home, owned by Brent and Karen Corson, is nearby the Oftedal-Barry home. The two-story, French Provincial-style home has an enclosed patio.

▪ Charlie and Valerie Fox own a Mediterranean-style home with southwestern details. It features arches and a tile roof.

▪ The Holt home, owned by Jaime Holt, was built in the 1920s. The Mediterranean-style home features a garage apartment, tile roof and arched doorways.

Each house is staffed with volunteers, or adult docents, to direct traffic and ensure safety precautions. Student docents will be present at each house to give information and answer questions.

Student docents are members of the Fresno High School Senate, a historic club that has been participating in the holiday home tour since 2005.

The holiday home tour is expected to attract hundreds of people. Proceeds will benefit Fresno High School as well as beautification projects and improvements in the neighborhood.

Tickets can be purchased for $25 at Gazebo Gardens Nursery, Top Drawer, The Vintage Market at 601 and Quality Carpets Design Center.

This story was originally published November 30, 2016 at 10:34 AM with the headline "Experience the beauty and history of the Fresno High Neighborhood."