Area residents prepare for annual home tour
The “Homes for the Holidays’ tour, which benefits the Crime Victims’ Center of Fayette County, celebrates all that’s best about the season. Not only the beautiful decorations that highlight the homes and businesses featured in the tour, which takes place from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10, but it’s also a great example of the spirit of giving that’s apparent in the homeowners and merchants as they open their hearts to help others.
“Mainly, I wanted to raise money for the Crime Victims’ Center,’ said Brigitta Sabatini.
“It’s a good cause,’ said Tim Grindle.
“What a nice idea to help someone in need,’ said Vicki Hartsek. “What a wonderful organization this is and how it helps many different people with so many different needs.’
“It benefits such a good cause – that’s the main thing,’ said Peggy Corrigan.
“We’ve been interested in the work of the Crime Victims’ Center for quite some time,’ said Steve Neubauer.
“I think it’s a wonderful cause and I think it’s the right thing to do,’ said Jenny Radcliffe. “I’m happy to participate.’
Linda O’Keefe, legal advocate supervisor for the center and coordinator for the tour, thanked the home and business owners for their support of this tour and noted its importance to the Crime Victims’ Center.
“It’s our most successful fund-raiser. We make about $5,000 a year on it. That’s monumental to us,’ O’Keefe said, noting, “It’s starting to be a tradition. People look forward to it and we enjoy presenting it to the community.’
The Crime Victims’ Center was one of the first crime victims centers in the state. It is a nonprofit comprehensive agency that offers services to all crime victims, including those involving sexual assault and violent crimes. The center offers a variety of other services, including counseling. The center offers a 24-hour crisis hotline (724-437-3737) that provides crisis intervention support, and information and referrals to other community resources.
This year’s “Homes for the Holidays’ tour features four Uniontown area homes as well as two local businesses. They include:
– The home of Dan and Peggy Corrigan is located at 300 Meadowlark Drive and was constructed in the late 1980s. It was one of the first homes in the Craig Meadows second edition.
– The home of William “Trip” and Jenny Radcliffe is located at 272 Brownfield Lane, a farm built in 1835 by the Barnes family.
– The home of Steve and Vicki Hartsek is located at 112 Wayside Drive and is a 10-year-old southern pine log home.
– The John P. Conn House, located at 84 Ben Lomond St., was built in 1906 and represents a blend of Victorian and Early American design. On the National Register of Historic Places, this residence is the home of Brigitta Sabatini, Rose Sabatini, Cassie Charles and Carl Kovach.
– The Crystal Cupboard in Grindle Station, owned by Tim and Andrea Grindle, is located on Pittsburgh Street near the intersection with North Mount Vernon Avenue. This is a renovated freight station, originally owned by The Pennsylvania Railroad.
– Neubauer’s at the Station, owned by Steve Neubauer, opened in November at Grindle Station. Both this store and Neubauer’s Flowers Inc., located at 3 S. Gallatin Ave., will be open during the tour.
After the tour, a dinner will be held at Rotelli’s restaurant at Grindle Station for an additional cost. Reservations are required.
Here’s a look at the places included in the 2006 “Home for the Holidays’ tour with descriptions provided by the homeowners for the Crime Victim’s Center.
The Corrigan residence
Christmas is a special time at the Meadowlark Drive home of Dan and Peggy Corrigan.
The family wrote in their description: “Decorating starts early and is very extensive and festive. The home has a traditional d?cor throughout but each room carries a different theme for the holiday season.
“The living room tree has much sentimental value. It is adorned with hundreds of Hallmark and Old World glass ornaments that our grown daughters have received from their aunts while growing up. Although they have lived in North Carolina since going to college, they feel these ornaments belong at home and that Christmas wouldn’t be the same if they weren’t on the living room tree.
“Gingerbread people abound in the kitchen! This theme has been expanded since our family has. We now have two grandsons, Connor, 4, and Benjamin, 3, who thoroughly enjoy all the activity of baking and eating them as well.’
The dining room is decorated with beaded fruit – pears, plums, apples and pomegranates.
Peggy Corrigan said their family traditions include a traditional Christmas Eve meal and all the cherished memories made here.
The Corrigans wrote, “We invite you to join us and share the warmth and comfort of our home at this very special time of year. Our best wishes to you for a blessed and joyous Christmas.’
The Radcliffe residence
The Radcliffe residence on Brownfield Lane is a farmhouse, built in 1835 by the Barnes family and passed down from father to son until Mark and Pat Thompson bought it in 1954. Originally, the house had four rooms – two upstairs and two downstairs – until the second Barnes family created an addition in the late 19th century that included a new stairway, hall and four additional rooms. At some point, bathrooms were installed.
The house underwent another addition under the Thompsons in the 1970s, adding a large family room, foyer, bathroom and upstairs closet off the master bedroom. Thompson is the grandson of coal baron J.V. Thompson.
The Radcliffes bought the farm in December 2002, sprucing it up with fresh paint and new carpeting along with hardwood flooring in the family room and remodeled the kitchen.
For Christmas, the Radcliffes use decorations gathered from 34 years of marriage. Their outside decorations feature wreaths and candles.
Asked about Christmas traditions, Jenny Radcliffe said, “Aside from going to church on Christmas Eve, we all decorate the tree together.’
In their description, the Radcliffes wrote, “We hope visiting here will not only help put you into the spirit of this beautiful season, but also help you to conjure up your own warm memories of Christmas past! We love living here during all the seasons of the year, but we especially love the Christmas season.’
The Hartsek residence
Steve and Vicki Hartsek, along with their daughters, Angela and Erika, helped Gold Hill Log Homes in the construction of their 10-year-old southern pine log home on Wayside Drive.
“Steve pitched in and helped the contractors. The girls did painting, papering and staining. I did the designing and decorating,’ Vicki Hartsek wrote in her description.
“Log home living is so comfortable,’ she added. “The constant aroma of wood lingering in the air, especially in a cozy day in front of the fireplace. Also the rustic charm is irresistible. When family and friends come to visit, they always see something to remind them when they were younger. Steve and I have attended many estate sales and auctions for our d?cor. I love bringing home a piece from years ago, perhaps from a mother or a child. I like to think about the person who owned that item and wonder what they were like. How they treasured their possession and now it’s our turn.
“Steve also made all of our table benches, chairs, cupboards. He has a great talent for carpentry. I design what I want. He constructs it and I decorate and paint it or we just leave it primitive. Our taste is comfortable and we really enjoy living country style at this home,’ she wrote.
Asked about Christmas, Vicki Hartsek said, “We cut our own pine. I decorate with a lot of pinecones. I like holly – all natural decorations. It’s not fancy but it’s very comfortable. I keep lights up all year long and I have a tree in each room.’
Vicki Hartsek said she enjoys the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, but noted, “To me, it’s a religious holiday. If not for the birth of Christ, where would we be?’
She also wrote a greeting in her description, noting, “We hope whoever enters our home today feels the same Christmas delight that our family has felt for the past 10 years and also that the visit made you happy that you came.’
The Conn House
Located at the intersection of Ben Lomond and Nassau streets, the 1906 dwelling was built for John P. Conn, a locally successful carpenter-turned-contractor and real estate/insurance broker who resided there until his death in 1912. The property remained with the Conn Family until 1918, when it was bought by Altha L. and Celia G. Moser, who owned it for 42 years. The house has been sold four times since 1960 and the current owner is Dr. Byron F. King. The residents are Cassandra Charles, Carl Kovach, Brigitta Sabatini and Rose Sabatini. The Sabatinis are sisters and they are friends with Charles and Kovach.
This information was provided by the residents who also noted, “The Conn House has maintained a high level of integrity of both architectural design and historic setting; and in these combined qualities it is considered one of the finest representatives of the early Colonial Revival themes in the community. Most of the structure’s original features have been carefully preserved throughout its 100 years of continued use as a residence.’
They noted, “The three-story dwelling is constructed of non-local Hummelstown brownstone. The low-pitch, truncated hip roof is slate covered and includes a single-gable dormer, combining Palladian-style windows and Victorian influenced fish scale shingles.’
The windows and doors are characterized by a variety of shapes, sizes and materials. The main entryway features a pair of ornately beveled glass doors with a stained-glass transom and radiating keyed stone art. The most prominent feature is the colossal balconied porch. The house description also notes that oak is used exclusively throughout the dwelling, except in the library where walnut paneling and bookcases were installed. The house also features early electrical crystal chandeliers and an intact early 20th century bathroom with floral-patterned ceramic wall tile, stained-glass window, porcelain-coated pedestal sink, claw-footed bathtub and beveled glass and wood medicine cabinet.
This is the first Christmas in the house for the current residents, who moved into the house in October.
Brigitta Sabatini said, “We love the holidays and having a big house to entertain in.’
Brenda Sabatini, mother of the Sabatini sisters, and Jennie Sabatini, their grandmother, are making Italian stuffed olives to be served during the tour. For entertainment, two guitarists, Anthony and Joe Materkowski, will be stationed on the first floor while the St. Therese Roman Catholic Church’s bell choir will perform on the third floor.
As for decorations, Brigitta Sabatini said, “We keep it traditional – pine cones, cranberries and fruit.’
Asked about traditions, the Sabatinis – who are Italian – have a traditional Christmas Eve dinner with seven kinds of fish.
The residents are very excited about the upcoming tour.
Brigitta Sabatini said, “We’re really blessed with a lot of family and friends who are helping us.’
Grindle Station
Located on Pittsburgh Street near the intersection of North Mount Vernon Avenue, Grindle Station was originally used by the Pennsylvania Railroad as a freight station in the early 20th century. Tim Grindle purchased the building in 1994.
According to a description by the owners, “Over the past 12 years, restoring the station has been the life work of the Grindle family. The building currently houses Grindle’s businesses: Teaz Inc., Teaz Tanning, The Crystal Cupboard gift shop and the office of TGI (Tim Grindle Insulation), along with Rotelli’s Restaurant and the most recent addition, Neubauer’s at the Station Christmas shop.
“Tim’s vision to restore the building using authentic materials is evidenced by real copper fascia, the poplar board overhang and the board and batten-style exterior. The original metal trusses have been repainted and are exposed throughout the 13,000-square-foot building. Interior walls are in the original brickwork and the hand railing along the platform was originally the wrought iron fence along Pittsburgh Street in front of the station.
“The exterior bricks were chiseled by Tim’s father to ready them for use on the building. The interior d?cor also uses elements from the local past – the elevator grate and interior hand railing leading to the upstairs offices were originally part of the Troutman’s Department Store in Connellsville. The station was renamed Grindle Station in 2004 in memory of Tim’s father, Archie R. Grindle who worked side by side with Tim during the renovation of the building.’
Tim Grindle said the station has been decorated for the season since mid-November in anticipation of Uniontown’s Light-up Night.
He agreed that Christmas is a special time for his family.
“I think it is for everyone,’ he said.
In their description, the Grindles wrote, “Tim and Andrea Grindle welcome you to enjoy the architecture and ambience of this unique part of Uniontown history, browse the shops and have a wonderful holiday season.’
Neubauer’s at the Station
Opened in November, Neubauer’s offers the finest in home d?cor with merchandise from top designers who include Jim Marvin Collection, Mark Roberts Collection, Bethany Lowe Designs, Joseph Thomas – True Candles, Agraria Home Fragrance, D.L. & Company – Rae Botanic Candles, Marcelli Italian Wood Picture Frames, Olivia Regal Collection – Rhinestone & Enamel, Faberge Porcelain, Frames, Clocks & Demitasse Sets, Galway Crystal and B Sweets Chocolate (Uniontown’s exclusive retailer).
Since 1921, Neubauer’s Flowers Inc., a third-generation family florist, has been known for designing exquisite floral arrangements for its customers. Neubauer’s Flowers, owned by operated by Steve Neubauer, is located at 3 S. Gallatin Ave. Both locations will be open for the tour.
According to a description provided by Neubauer, “Both stores are now decorated for Christmas and offer the latest trends in distinctive holiday decorating.’
At home, the Neubauer family enjoys their own Christmas traditions.
Neubauer said, “Our family tree still has all the ornaments I collected growing up and my wife and that our kids made. We try to decorate the tree together.’
And Christmas remains a special time of year for them.
Neubauer said, “I still believe in Santa Claus, of course.’
For ticket information about the “Home for the Holidays’ tour, call the Crime Victims’ Center at 724-438-1470.