HOW TO GO
What: The 20th Dayton Philharmonic Volunteers Association’s Designers’ Show House & Gardens
When: April 26-May 17. The home is open daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed on Mondays for special events and open Thursday evenings from 4-7 p.m.
Where: The Walther Family Home, West Kettering
Tickets: Available online for $20, at the door for $25.
Parking: Shuttle buses will run continuously to and from The NCR Country Club, 4435 Dogwood Trail (off Stroop Road), Kettering.
For more information: Visit the Dayton Philharmonic Volunteer Association website at www.dpva.org for ticket locations and for a listing of all special events.
Note: The Show House is not handicapped accessible. Children under 10 are not admitted, neither are infants in arms. No photography is permitted.
ABOUT THE WALTHER FAMILY AND HOME
George Walther emigrated from Germany in 1892, settling in Dayton. Early in his career, he realized that existing wheel technology was too heavy to move big loads quickly. He was issued a patent in 1913 for new steel wheel technology and formed The Dayton Steel Foundry Corporation. The company he founded grew to a multi-national company with plants across the U.S. and in four foreign countries. By 1959, all nine sons and at least two of the three sons-in-law worked for the family business.
Married in 1911, George and Katie Walther bought the 25-acre property from Raymond and Elsa Shuey in 1932 and moved to their new home in west Kettering with 11 of their 12 children. Son Fred was born several years later. The Walther home contains several features that were considered “state of the art” in the early 1930s. These include stainless steel counter tops, a built-in system for disposing of garbage and a walk-in shower in the master bedroom. They shaped the property to reflect their love of entertaining, family and fresh food.
The home went through three family eras and included a pool, chicken coop, cow barn, vegetable garden, flower and rock gardens. Gathering for Christmas Eve was the biggest family activity for the Walther children and grandchildren.
The Big House was named by the grandchildren, many of whom lived in homes nearby and many could walk across the fields to visit cousins and grandparents. After Mrs. Walther died in 1972, the house was used by Dayton Steel Foundry as a corporate guest house, similar to others used by Dayton’s large companies. Overseas guests were served breakfast in the morning and could swim or play tennis after a day of meetings.
The property was sold in 1986 and subsequently subdivided. Family members from throughout North America will attend today’s opening as well Gretchen and Jason Treherne, the home’s current owners.
SOURCE: Georgie Woessner, DPVA
VIDEO: For a peek inside the showhouse, visit MyDaytonDailyNews.com
Creating an artistic room doesn’t come easily to all of us. Luckily, every two years the folks at the Dayton Philharmonic Volunteer Association come to the rescue by giving us tons of great decorating ideas at their Designers’ Show House & Gardens. This year’s showcase is the Walther family’s Colonial Revival style home in Kettering.
With the purchase of a ticket, visitors get to tour a beautiful residence, learn more about Dayton history and the family who lived there, and view the creative output of dozens of our region’s most talented interior designers. Best of all, the spring outing helps provide financial support to Dayton’s excellent orchestra and offers thousands of dollars in scholarship aid and awards to young music students.
In addition to touring 24 design spaces, you can stop for lunch or tea and shop for gifts just in time for Mother’s Day. The restaurant, with catering this year by Brock Masterson, is called the Pit Stop Cafe with a nod to the Walther patent on the steel wheel technology used for trucks, and to the family’s love of motorized sports. Grandson Salt Wather was a famous race car driver. Gifts in this year’s boutique range from handmade jewelry and scarves to garden art, toys and plants.
This year’s series of related events includes High Teas and Fashion Shows (April 27 and May 11) a Golf Outing (May 4), a Coffee and Chocolate brunch ( May 4,) a Little Me Tea for kids (May 9) and a Hot Burgers & Cool Cars dinner and car show (May 15). On Designer Days, April 29 and May 14, the decorators will be in each room to chat and respond to questions.
The Big House
“This house was built for family, not for show,” said volunteer Jaclyn Dunn, who is handling publicity for the project and is also one of the featured decorators. “Doesn’t it feel cozy and homey and warm?”
It does indeed. That’s due partly to the home’s charming architectural features — fireplaces in the bedrooms, a library with beamed ceilings, heavily molded ceiling cornices — but also to the color palette chosen by the home’s current owners, Gretchen and Jason Treherne. They’ve selected soothing soft blues, aquas, grays and greens.
Designers get to pick which room they’ll decorate, based on the number of years they’ve participated in the project. Sharon Bledsoe, for example, has been contributing her talents to the project since 1985 and — along with her designing partner David Fair — chose the sunroom this time around.
“You look at a room and try to make it reflect that house and its style,” Bledsoe explained. “I’ve always felt this is a great opportunity to get your name out there and be associated with a first class design show house.” She said she sometimes gets a call years after a visitor has picked up her card or the show house program.
Bledsoe said she, and the other designers, like the idea of following a prescribed color palette. “In the old days it was anything goes in each room, and now we try to make the whole house look like it belongs together,” she said. “The designers think it works better when there’s a coordinated color plan.”
The designers like to imagine how their room will be used. The Walther sunroom faces an outdoor patio and overlooks the gardens. She and Fair have painted the floor and ceiling in soft shades, added comfortable furniture, a bookcase, ferns. “We see it as a place you’d sit on a sunny afternoon and read or entertain.”
Jeanne Behm of Ala Carte Design said a colorful wallpaper covered with tropical birds was her inspiration for the home’s entryway. “You always try to find some inspiration — it could be the china, a piece of art, a rug,” she explained. She invited mural artist Chris Newman to interpret the wallpaper design on the staircase walls, livening up a dark area.
The historic home has seven bedrooms where designers are free to let their imaginations soar. As a result you’ll see a meditation room by Joy Turner Price of Interior Joy and an au pair suite designed by Dunn for Ethan Allen. “I imagine the girl who lives here as an interior design student at Sinclair Community College,” said Dunn, “I gave her a desk for studying and a comfy bed.”
Furnishings and accessories in the 24 areas of the home are for sale. Pick up the white binder that you’ll find in each location and it will contain a list of specific items and their prices. The homeowners are always given first dibs on anything they might like to purchase.
Historic home
Georgie Woessner is the history chair for this year’s house, responsible digging up interesting facts about it and talking to Walther family members who were happy to share their memories.“It was a huge family that lived in the house for more than 50 year. They loved it and still talk fondly about what they call “The Big House,” Woessner said. She said family members from across North America will be on hand today for the opening. “They’re thrilled to see their home being restored to its former warmth and family spirit. “
Woessner said there is an amazing amount of original detail in the home.“The hard wood floors and kitchen cabinets are original and the little door in the living room was used to bring in firewood.” She also learned that the Walthers paid $65,000 for the home when they bought it in 1932.
A community effort
More than 300 volunteers are responsible for this year’s show house, according to Carol Erwine, president of the DPVA. About 5,000 visited the 2013 show house at the Rike’s estate, a project that earned a Gold Book Award from the League of American Orchestras.
"The most important part is why we do it," Erwine emphasized. "Music is the heart of it all."
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