Walking tour of Leonardsville to showcase five historic buildings
The public will have an opportunity to take a close look inside five beautiful historic buildings and homes in Leonardsville during a walking tour from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 12.
Sponsored by the Upper Unadilla Valley Association, the tour will include two private homes for sale and three restored homes that house summer artists-in-residence for the Horned Dorset Arts Colony. During the colony’s off-season, those rooms are available for overnight public lodging to help generate income for the non-profit program.
The tour includes three buildings directly along State Route 8, the hamlet’s Main Street:
- The Wheeler House, featuring four well-appointed Victorian-era rooms available for overnight lodging through The Horned Dorset Inn;
- The Utopia Library, a former bookstore that retains some of its many shelves of books but now operates as a residence of the Horned Dorset Colony; and
- The Evans house, a private residence owned by Louis Haddad.
The other two buildings are:
- The Wallace W. Coon house on Center Street, owned by Patrick Shields, and
- The Witter House on Huey Road, another artist colony building which, like the Utopia Library, is available for overnight lodging when artists are not in residence.
A tour booklet is available at each location and serves as the admission ticket to all five stops. The cost is $5, with tourists age 12 and under admitted for free. Tours may begin at any location, and all buildings are within a block’s walk.
The five buildings have benefited from owners who did more than just maintain them. These caretakers made efforts to keep historic trimmings, helping to maintain each building’s character, charm and an aura of the past while also accommodating modern living needs.