 Visitors will again have a chance to tour a new "mystery mansion,"
along with three of the community's most elegant historic homes --
the David Davis Mansion State Historic Site at 1000 E. Monroe,
Bloomington; the Broadview Mansion at 1301 S. Fell Ave., Normal; and
the Vrooman Mansion at 701 E. Taylor, Bloomington. The tradition
will continue next year, and the Christmas tour will feature a
different "mystery mansion" each year.Tour hours on Dec. 19 will
be from 4 to 9 p.m.
Tickets for the tours are $10 per person in advance and may be
purchased at Casey's Garden Shop, The Garlic Press, Schnucks
Supermarket (Normal and Bloomington locations), the David Davis
Mansion and online at the Davis Mansion's Web site,
www.daviddavismansion.org. Tickets are $12 per person the day of
the event.
This year, five shuttle buses will transport visitors
continuously to all four mansions with very little waiting. Visitors
may begin their tour by parking either on the Davis Mansion grounds
at 1000 E. Monroe in Bloomington or in a new location this year, the
parking lot of Wesley United Methodist Church in Bloomington. The
church is located at 502 E. Front Street, and the parking lot may be
entered either from Washington Street on the north side of the
church or from Front Street on the south side of the church.
While waiting for the shuttle at the church, visitors may go
inside at the east entrance, where hot beverages will be served,
courtesy of Wesley United Methodist Church and Immanuel Bible
Foundation.
For those who will not be taking the shuttle bus, directions and
maps to the mystery mansion will be available at the Vrooman,
Broadview and Davis mansions on the night of the event.
The Davis, Broadview and Vrooman mansions will be festooned with
vintage Christmas decorations, and two of the mansions will feature
special Christmas foods and beverages. A selection of gourmet
holiday foods will be served at the Vrooman Mansion, courtesy of the
three participating mansions, and the David Davis Mansion will also
offer a choice of tasty Christmas treats, donated by Schnuck's,
Lancasters, Great Harvest Bread Co., Janet's Cakes and the Tea
Ladies. The Davis Mansion tour will also feature seasonal music and
costumed guides, who will show visitors what a typical Victorian
Christmas celebration was like when the Davis family lived there.
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Christmas at the Mansions is a fundraising event benefiting
Immanuel Bible Foundation, the David Davis Mansion Foundation and
the American Cancer Society, which is the community charity adopted
by Vrooman Mansion. The David Davis Mansion Foundation will use its
portion of the funds raised to help keep the David Davis Mansion
open to the public and to provide new educational programs. Immanuel
Bible Foundation will use its funds to provide special programs for
the community, and Vrooman Mansion will use the funds raised to
support the American Cancer Society.
Corporate sponsors for this year's event are Elegant Limousine,
Second Presbyterian Church and Wesley United Methodist Church.
Supporting sponsors are Snyder Cos. and StarNet Digital Publishing.
The Victorian-style David Davis Mansion, known by the family as
Clover Lawn, was built in 1872 for U.S. Supreme Court Justice David
Davis and his wife, Sarah. The Davis Mansion will also be lavishly
decorated for Christmas and open for free public tours between
Thanksgiving and New Year's. Tours will be given during the site's
normal operating hours, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through
Sunday. The David Davis Mansion is administered by the Illinois
Historic Preservation Agency. For more information, visit
www.daviddavismansion.org.
The Edwardian-style Broadview Mansion was built in 1906 for Bird
and Margaret Van Leer, who operated a successful Bloomington
business for many years. After the death of her husband, Mrs. Van
Leer founded Immanuel Bible Foundation and used her home as its
headquarters. IBF is still located in the mansion. The Christmas at
the Mansions tour will offer the public a unique opportunity to see
the inside of the home. For more information, visit
www.ibfoundation.org.
Built in 1869, the Vrooman Mansion was formerly the home of Julia
Scott Vrooman, whose family entertained dignitaries such as Adlai E.
Stevenson and Eleanor Roosevelt. A visit to the Vrooman Mansion
allows visitors to relive the history of 19th-century Bloomington,
while they imagine themselves being entertained by the Scott and
Vrooman families in this elegant home. To learn more, visit
www.vroomanmansion.com.
For more information on the Dec. 19 tours, call the David Davis
Mansion at 309-828-1084 or Immanuel Bible Foundation at
309-452-6710.
[Text from file received from
the Illinois Historic
Preservation Agency] |
