
The Jerome Chamber of Commerce is preparing its yearly exploration of the back streets of this historic mining town with the 54th Annual Home and Building Tour. Save the dates of May 18-19, 2019 for a look at some totally renovated gems in the mile-high town.
This year’s tour will include The Radio House, owned by Gussie and Harry Mader and built in 1919. The Maders were ham radio operators and there are artifacts from this hobby imbedded in the walls of this charming miners shack. Visitors are in for a real look back in time to life in the mining town and the simple architecture and lifestyle of Jerome. There will be a 600’ walk down a private road to get to the home so come prepared with comfortable walking shoes.
The tour will include a look at The Reber House, built in 1917. Dr Louis Reber built this home to please his bride and even measured the waist to floor length to be sure the kitchen sink would fit her exactly right. Dr. Reber was Chief Geologist for the United Verde Copper Company. He earned his PhD in geology from Yale and became the chief geologist right after graduation. He is credited with developing the concept of aerial photography for ore identification. He was in and out of Jerome and then returned from 1953 to 1964 as a general agent for Phelps Dodge. After his death in 1966, his materials were donated to the NAU geology department. Don and Kathi Feher bought this home three years ago. Don was born in Jerome over seventy years ago and lived in this neighborhood as a child. They have completed a major renovation of the entire interior space. Don, having been in the cabinet business for thirty years, restored the original wood floor, and constructed the all of the interior woodwork in old growth Douglas fir. In addition, they built up stone walls, made walkways and planted the hillside gardens.
Continuing to The Teacher’s House, this 1928 home has been continually occupied by teachers. It was selected for the HG TV Show Boomtown Builder and is beautifully updated and reworked to fit the lifestyle of the 21st century. Continuing down the hill to a garden section of town, the Gutierrez House has just had a major change and now has a second story master suite, some quirky surprises and a fabulous garden. For a modern look at Jerome, The Kinsella Home will be on tour for the second time in ten years, now reworked into the ultimate man cave but with the original spectacular million-dollar views. The tour is completed at the sub-basement of The Sullivan Hotel for a look at an amazing piece of history. We will be showing the 1915 Boiler which was state of the art at the time.
The 54th Annual Jerome Historic Home and Building Tour takes place May 18-19, 2019 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day in Jerome, Arizona. Last ticket accepted at 3 p.m. Tour takes approximately 2-4 hours.
If you go…
When:
Saturday, May 18-19, 2019.
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where:
Jerome, AZ
Parking:
Shuttle bus will run from the 300 level parking lot.
Cost:
$25 Adult, $10 Kids
There will be plenty of parking out at the 300 level (past the fire station on Perkinsville Road) where a bus will pick you up to bring you to town to Spook Hall.
The Tour starts with ticket sales at the original JC Penney on Hull Avenue. Adults will pay $25 and $10 for kids. Free for children under 3. There will be lots of steps so wear comfortable shoes and prepare for an adventure. First Tour starts at 9am and the last tickets of the day are sold at 3pm. Leave yourself two to four hours for this event. Participants will take a van ride to most locations with a few within walking distance of each other. The Tour is not handicap accessible.

Visit jeromechamber.com for advance tickets sales or email info@jeromechamber.com for more information.