Historic preservation and education are more than just hobbies for Katherine and Gabe Holmstrom. Most weekends you’ll find them at the hardware store getting more supplies to renovate their circa 1883 Quapaw Quarter residence, the Wilson Mehaffey House, commonly known as the Evening Shade Home thanks to its appearance in the opening credits of the 1990s sitcom of the same name.
“The instant I saw our house I fell in love. It was completely overgrown with weeds and vines and desperately needed a paint job, but I could see that it was once beautiful,” Katherine says. “We always loved the idea of buying an older home with history, working to restore it and making it our very own. It’s rewarding to live in a home where we’ve literally shed our blood, sweat and tears.”
The Wilson Mehaffy home holds a special place in their hearts for another reason as well. After a 4-year courtship, the home’s stairwell is where Gabe proposed to Katherine. The couple had made an offer on the home, but were awaiting acceptance. One Sunday, Gabe told Katherine their realtor had called and said the roof had sustained significant damage during a rainstorm. “Supposedly [our realtor] wanted to know if we still wanted to keep our offer on the table. I had to check it out first, so we went to the house to see what I thought was going to be a messy disaster. Once I was on the landing, Gabe grabbed my hand, got on one knee, said he loved me and asked me to marry him,” Katherine remembers. Turns out, the roof was just fine and the Holmstroms closed on the house a week later.
A native of DeWitt, Katherine works for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission as a regional manager for community development, where she helps 21 counties in eastern and northeastern Arkansas better their communities and plan for the future.
Katherine and Gabe – the current chief of staff at the Arkansas House of Representatives – met in what she calls “true Arkansas political fashion.” Gabe was managing Rep. Marion Berry’s campaign in 2006 in Jonesboro where she was a campaign volunteer. The two started dating a few years later when she moved to Little Rock to work out of Berry’s congressional office in Cabot.
Gabe joined the board of the Quapaw Quarter Association (QQA) soon after they moved into the neighborhood in 2011, and since then, the two have participated in several QQA events, including Preservation Crustaceans and the annual Festivus for the Best of Us.
They’re currently gearing up for the QQA’s 49th Spring Tour of Homes, the association’s oldest annual function. “Since 1963, the tour has been staged for the purpose of fostering appreciation of historic buildings and neighborhoods and the need for their preservation,” says Executive Director Rhea Roberts. “Although the basic purpose of the tour has remained much the same, the manner in which the tour is conducted has changed dramatically. From a casual afternoon open house, the tour has grown into a weekend-long extravaganza, which includes both evening and afternoon tours and a variety of activities.” In the process, the tour has become the QQA’s major annual fundraiser, providing nearly a fourth of its annual income.
This year’s tour will take place May 11–12 in North Little Rock’s Park Hill neighborhood. “It’s important to us that we raise awareness about all historic neighborhoods in Little Rock and North Little Rock, not just those within the Quapaw Quarter,” Katherine says. “Park Hill is a great neighborhood with a rich history. A couple of years ago, it was named ‘One of the Best Places to Buy an Old House’ by This Old House magazine.” The QQA also gave the neighborhood association an Award of Merit last year for its ongoing preservation efforts.
Since development of Park Hill began in 1922 and the film set in the same era The Great Gatsby hits theaters May 10, the tour committee decided to go all out and put on a roaring ’20s, Gatsby-themed event. “The neighborhood will be a great backdrop, and we’ll have lots of candles and lights strung in the trees,” Rhea explains. There will also be an antique car on display, and guests are encouraged to don their most dapper duds.
The tour will begin Saturday, May 11, with the evening Candlelight and Champagne Tour of Homes, followed by a Gatsby in the Garden dinner at 238 Skyline Drive. Tickets are $125 per person, which includes Sunday admission. “The dinner will be a fabulous nod to the old-school glamour of the 1920s, with champagne, live music, delicious food and lots of fun,” Katherine says.
Sunday tour-goers will enjoy home tours, street activities, food vendors and trolley rides from 1–5 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the tour. The tours are self-guided on both days, Katherine says. “Guests can start anywhere and go at their own pace. We provide programs with some history of the houses, but docents inside the houses provide more information to anyone who is interested.”
Back on her Quapaw Quarter home turf, Katherine says it’s a place where she’s looking forward to raising a family and spending their lives. “There are so many amazingly diverse people who are our neighbors, and we love getting to interact with and support each other. We are also so grateful to the many people who have committed their lives to seeing the Quapaw Quarter thrive and survive. I believe the neighborhood is now positive proof of their hard work, and I look forward to being able to continue their hard work to better the neighborhood.”
2013 Spring Tour of Homes
When: May 11-12 |
- May 11: 5:30-7:30 p.m. Candlelight and Champagne Tour of Homes;
7:30-9:30 p.m. “Gatsby in the Garden” dinner - May 12: 1-5 p.m. tours, family activities, food vendors and trolley rides
Where: Park Hill, North Little Rock
- 238, 257, 415, 436 and 532 Skyline Dr., 217 Dooley Road
Tickets + Info: 371-0075, ext. 3, Quapaw.com
Katherine Holmstrom channels Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby in clothes and accessories from B. Barnett.
Katherine Holmstrom channels Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby in clothes and accessories from B. Barnett.
Katherine Holmstrom channels Daisy Buchanan from The Great Gatsby in clothes and accessories from B. Barnett.