Douglaston Little Neck Historical Society to Host Walking, House Tours in October

The Douglaston Little Neck Historical Society is hosting a walking tour and a house tour next month to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the community’s historic designation.

The walking tour, which will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 13, is being led by Douglaston architect Kevin Wolfe.

It will begin on the front porch of the Douglaston Club, located at 600 West Drive, and will include several buildings of historic interest that were included in the 1997 historic designation of the community.

A brochure and map will be available for the tour, which will highlight architecture and recent renovations.

The final stop on the tour will be a residence on Kenmore Road, where refreshments will be served.

Attendees should wear shoes that are appropriate for walking.

The historical society will also offer a tour of five historic homes on Oct. 14 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The properties are located at 11 Melrose Lane, 1 Alston Place, 6 Arleigh Road, 225 Hillside Avenue and 120 Warwick Avenue.

"We will be looking at the historical value of the homes," said Barbara Rehren, who is coordinating the tour. "Some of them have interesting stories that are connected to them and people on the tour can find out who inhabited them."

Julia Schoeck, the historical society's president, said one interesting element of the tour is viewing the homes that have been renovated since the historic designation.

"We have two houses on the tour that have exprienced significant renovations, which makes it interesting," she said. "We can show how they have been restored and improved through historic designation."

The tour will be followed by a reception at 406 Shore Road.

Attendees can visit the five locations in any order they choose. Tickets for the house tour can be purchased at the addresses.

Or, they can be purchased by filling out an application that is available on the historical society’s website.

The admission fee for the walking tour is $20. Members of the historical society will pay $90 for the house tour, while the fee for non-members is $100.

Tickets for the walking tour are also available at the Douglaston Club.