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HAZLETON — Finding the right home can be like finding the right partner; it could take a number of mistakes before the ideal match comes along. The wraparound porch and 14-foot ceilings of Brandon’s Forever Home are off the market, but that isn’t stopping the residence from seeing other people — or serving them wine.
Enthusiasts of architecture, history and classy drinks are invited to take part in a walking tour of structures in Hazleton’s Church Street neighborhood, including the non-profit Brandon’s Forever Home and the former Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church (now live entertainment venue The Sanctuary). The tour, organized by the Greater Hazleton Historical Society and Downtown Hazleton Alliance for Progress, will support the two organization’s joint-effort to preserve and gain historical designation for the neighborhood, which borders the north side of downtown Hazleton.
The Aug. 5 tour will begin at Hazleton’s Memorial Park, make its way through the Church Street neighborhood and return to its starting point around 7:30 p.m. The tour is open to all ages but includes a wine tasting from Berwick’s Freas Farm Winery for those 21 and older. Tickets for the tour are $10 before Aug. 3; ticket purchases made Aug. 4 and 5 are $15.
“In late 2014, the historical society began having a conversation about how we could preserve the Church Street neighborhood,” said Greater Hazleton Historical Society board member Charles McElwee. “It’s a 50-block area of over 500 homes, nine churches, a synagogue and city hall. It features examples of Victorian, Queen Anne and Tudor mansions.”
McElwee’s fellow historical society board member, Krista Schneider, is executive director of Downtown Hazleton Alliance for Progress. The Hazleton native believes the protection of the neighborhood is important to the revitalization of the city’s downtown.
“Its high-quality architectural buildings are ripe for revitalization,” Schneider said. “As the downtown develops and it draws investment we feel the neighborhood to the north is one that could benefit from that.”
The cost of the walking tour will support historical designation efforts, which Schneider said includes a planning study and an architectural resource study. The historical society received half the funds to pay for those studies via a grant from Pennsylvania Historical Museum Commission. The society is raising the other half through fundraisers such as the walking tour, which coincides with the city’s First Friday celebration.
The city’s First Friday festivities include a book swap, car cruise, artistic displays and more, but McElwee and Schneider are hoping patrons join them for wine while visiting structures like the Augustus Van Wickle Mansion, main residence of the Brown University graduate who made his fortune in coal in the late 19th century.
“To think such a historic figure’s home is falling into such a sad state,” McElwee said. “It’s what inspires us to come up with a solution to pay for it.”