The holiday spirit came alive this year in the College Heights neighborhood of Rome, Georgia, as the Rome Area Heritage Foundation presented its Christmas Tour of Homes. Though it’s a newer tradition, this was the fifth Tour of Homes that the foundation has hosted. Given the time of year, the event was themed around the magic of the season, which offered a unique walking tour through five beautifully decorated historic homes, bringing local residents together to celebrate architecture, history, and holiday cheer from antique ornaments and nativity scenes.
“This is sponsored by the Rome Area Heritage Foundation, and it is our fifth tour of homes in a series of sorts,” said Jeb Arp, one of the event organizers. “We’ve done one every year except for 2020, because of COVID-19 This year we are doing a Christmas-themed one, which we’ve never done before, focusing on the College Heights neighborhood next to Shorter College.”
The event’s charm began right at check-in, where attendees received wristbands and were greeted by Java Joy, a coffee vendor offering hot chocolate and other warm beverages for this seasonal event. “It’s a walking tour, so all the houses are in the same neighborhood,” Arp said. With steaming drinks in hand, visitors strolled through the area to explore the homes.
A Showcase of Historic Charm
Each home on the tour offered a glimpse into Rome’s rich architectural history, with styles ranging from Georgian to Tudor to Craftsman.
“All the homes on the tour are very different,” Arp said. “One is The Starr House, which was built in 1962 and is a Georgian-style brick home. Built with some midcentury features, like the kitchen and bathrooms, it’s a really stunning home.”
Adding a personal touch to the event, Arp’s own residence, The Sulzbacher House, also welcomed visitors. “Everyone calls it The Sulzbacher House, but it was not built by the Sulzbachers. It was built by the Barron family in 1938. It is a Tudor-style home,” Arp said.
Other highlights of the tour included the oldest home, which was a Craftsman-style house built between 1914 and 1917, as well as a Dutch Colonial Revival-style with extensive remodeling and expansions that still manages to maintain its historical look and feel.
Each house offered its own take on festive holiday decorations, whether it was an Elf on the Shelf peering mischievously or a pillow featuring a pug wearing a Santa hat. The warmth of the holiday season permeated these properties with garland and red-velvety bows in entrances, soft lighting from Christmas trees, and fresh-baked gingerbread cookies to spice up the place. The historical nature of the featured homes is only enhanced by the personal touch that families bring to the spaces they occupy, truly bringing the past and present into one moment for everyone on the tour to appreciate.
A Celebration of Preservation
Since its founding in 1973, the Rome Area Heritage Foundation has been dedicated to celebrating and educating the public about historic structures. “We’re a nonprofit organization that works to bring awareness to and celebrate our historic structures,” Arp said. The Christmas Tour of Homes not only highlighted the foundation’s mission but also served as a membership drive. Each ticket purchased for the tour included a 2025 membership to the foundation.
Membership with the Rome Area Heritage Foundation offers opportunities to engage with local history through events, advocacy, and education. While the foundation is not the official Historical Preservation Committee, it plays a vital role in promoting awareness and appreciation for the city’s architectural treasures.
The success of the Christmas Tour of Homes was made possible by the generous support of local sponsors. MSP Attorneys, the presenting sponsor, added a special touch with one of its attorney’s homes featured on the tour. Additional sponsors included Toles, Temple & Wright, Hardy Realty, and Fast Printing & Signs. Their contributions helped ensure the event’s seamless execution and underscored the community’s commitment to preserving Rome’s historic charm.
If you missed this year’s Christmas Tour of Homes, there’s no need to wait until next year to get involved. The Rome Area Heritage Foundation hosts events throughout the year, offering plenty of ways to connect with local history and support the preservation of Rome’s historic structures.
To learn more about the foundation’s work or to become a member, visit their website at RomeAreaHeritageFoundation.org if you are interested. Your membership helps ensure that the stories of these homes and their rich histories continue to be celebrated for generations to come.
