The four historic homes on the 27th Anacortes Home and Boat Tour demonstrate that while people in days gone by appreciated gracious living, a careful blending of old and new can create something downright spectacular.

The homes display a spectrum of the possibilities. At one end, Diann and Ed Bradley’s glowing 1913 Craftsman home features painstaking conservation. Nearly museum-quality living and dining rooms and bedrooms cluster around an inviting kitchen that incorporates vintage style and modern amenities.

In contrast, Angela and John Zucker’s home has been extensively gutted and remodeled, yet retains the spirit, flair and bones of the modest 1914 bungalow underneath.

Of the four tour homes, the Zuckers’ residence at 1108 Ninth St., next to Pelican Bay Books, will be the most tempting to anyone who frequents the city’s downtown. The couple has been remodeling it for about a year, and the chance to see the wonders they have wrought is worth the $15 tour admission price all by itself. But there’s more — this year’s tour also features the W. T. Preston Snagboat, the Anacortes Museum and fabulous boats at Cap Sante Boat Haven, which had not yet been announced at press time.

The Zuckers’ project already has generated a constant stream of interested visitors.

“Everybody goes by slowly and gives us thumbs up,” Angela said.

The couple had the house raised and redone from the ground up, adding a new foundation, wiring, insulation, roof and interior and exterior walls, among many other projects.

“I did a lot of the interior demo work and hauled over 35,000 pounds in 31 trips to the transfer station with my dump trailer. That doesn’t include another 29,000 pounds of outside material I was able to recycle at Lakeside Industries,” John said.

They replaced the detached garage and built an addition on the back of the home with a new master bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and dining area. The new kitchen has modern amenities, including granite countertops and top of the line appliances, while keeping the flavor of the home through its woodwork, cabinets and tile floor. Despite all the renovation, the home retains the scale and charm of the original bungalow.

“One thing we did not want to be is one of those couples that come in and knocks the house down. We’ve preserved the integrity of the original house,” John said.

Beautifully restored wooden floors shine in the living room, as does an original light fixture. A wall was partially removed to bring in light from upstairs and open up a narrow stairwell. The new upstairs bathroom has a new, vintage style claw-foot tub for visitors who stay in the spare bedroom. Guests also can nestle in comfy chairs in a nook on the landing. The second upstairs bedroom is Angela’s quilting room.

The house is surrounded on two sides by a wide covered porch. Flagstone walkways will be finished in time for the tour, as will a driveway constructed from old cobblestones from Chicago streets that originally came to American from Europe as ballast in ships. Old-growth beams salvaged from a barn will be used for a fence.

John raves about Anacortes Construction Services LLC, the company in charge of the remodeling project. He said contractors were on time and extremely responsive. A list of all the craftsmen who worked on the house will be available during the tour, he said.

The couple invested significant resources to the project, but hope to enjoy it for years to come.

“Subjectively, the project is turning out better than we originally envisioned and was worth the time, cost and energy that were committed to it. We had lots of fun doing this and God willing we’ll reap a return on our investment for a long time,” John said.

The Zuckers said they are delighted to open their house to the community that has embraced their project. They also are pleased to support the cause, Seattle Children’s Hospital, for very personal reasons.

“We had a son who spent a lot of time at Children’s Hospital. It’s a good cause,” Angela said.

They lost their son at age 11, but said places like Children’s Hospital helped give him a good life.

“Unless you’re intimately involved with it, you don’t realize what a soft landing place it is,” John said.

Preview all the homes on the tour

• Diann and Ed Bradley’s 1913 Craftsman home perches on a bluff on Seventh Street.

Surprisingly original, this wonderful, comfortable home boasts leaded- and stained-glass windows, arts-and-crafts chandeliers and glowing refinished wood floors, trim and paneling. Refinishing and refurbishing is Ed’s ongoing project.
Historical delights include working radiators, original two-button light switches and other fixtures.

New and old blend in the kitchen, where recently added cupboards and a new island complement original cabinets across the room. Upstairs are three more bedrooms, an office and bathroom with laundry chute. Framed collections of arrowheads, baskets and interesting items are displayed throughout.

• Nancy and David Ridgeway’s home on Eighth Street, a 1908 colonial revival/Craftsman bungalow listed on the Anacortes Historical Register, was built for Jacob Wasserman Lowman and his wife Nancy.

Woodwork, original wood floors and windows shine in the living and dining room area. Wonderful artwork by a father and grandfather of the present owners is displayed throughout the home.

The back of the house includes a butler’s pantry, updated kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom with original claw-foot tub.

• Bunny and Lonny Heiner’s K Avenue home was originally known as the Beesner House for the captain and owner of the Guemes ferry. Built in 1920, this magnificent three-story house was totally renovated during the past three years.

The entrance is flanked by a living room and a generous dining room. Beyond them is a large, new kitchen with stainless steel counters, a butler’s pantry and a charming sun room. The second landing boasts a 1792 grandfather clock from London. Beyond it there’s a small bedroom, a vintage bathroom, original flooring and a delightful master suite.

The basement holds a girl’s bedroom and bath, a guest library and a very large laundry room with file cabinets, a mangle and Rie Munoz artwork. Noteworthy are the great painted cement floors and “Garden Room.”

Tickets on sale for Home and Boat Tour

The 27th annual Anacortes Home and Boat Tour is 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20. This year’s tour features four stately Old Town homes, the W. T. Preston Snagboat and the Anacortes Museum. In addition, there will be boats at Cap Sante Boat Haven, which have not yet been announced.

The tour is sponsored by the Dr. Samuel Gordon Brooks Guild of Seattle Children’s Hospital. All proceeds go to cover uncompensated care.

For information and tickets call 299-0789 or 293-3309. Tickets also can be purchased at the Visitor Information Center, 819 Commercial Ave., and The Market, 1519 Commercial Ave. On the day of the tour, tickets and coffee are available at the W. T. Preston.