Some participants come to sample craft beers and taste local cuisine, but as the Beer Walk for the Arts makes a comeback, the draw for many people is sure to be the house tours! The 2022 Beer Walk will feature six houses representing a variety of architectural styles for guests to explore. The tours are made possible through the generosity of the residents of the Museum Hill Historic District in St. Joseph, Missouri.
Check-in for eventgoers is the 1879 Wyeth-Tootle Mansion, where guests will get their wristbands and tour maps. The Mansion will also be the ending location and the site for the final pour accompanied by live music and the chance to view the exhibits inside the building.
The six houses featured on the 2022 Beer Walk tour include the 1879 Browne House, which is an Italianate mansion built for an Irish merchant. The ornate terra cotta window hoods are just the beginning when it comes to this 14-room structure where most of the original woodwork and trim remain. Then it’s off to the Craftsman style 1888 Edmond House, which was built as a single-family house, but the long-term owners appear to have converted it into a duplex in 1912. Designed by Eckel and Mann, the 1880s Queen Anne style Kemper House features an interior stairway with three stepped stained glass windows for guests to enjoy. Another Queen Anne style, the 1887 Nunning House, will give visitors the chance to see an octagonal-sided, three-story tower as well as 30 stained glass windows. The Moss Castle, brings the chateausque style into the architectural mix that guests will enjoy. Built for Josiah Moss in the early 1900s, the main architect of the project is said to have been influenced by a visit to the Loire Valley in France. Beer Walk participants can imagine awaiting the trolley’s arrival from the rebuilt Victorian porch of the 1886 Reilly house. Much restoration has gone into this Italianate structure with some artful tiles included in the two original fireplace mantles.
The Beer Walk for the Arts is hosted by the Allied Arts Council from 2 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 14. The event is a fundraiser for the Arts Fund, which provides funding to seven St. Joseph, Missouri, arts agencies. Tickets are $35 per person and may be purchased at http://allied-arts-council.ticketleap.com/beer-walk-for-the-arts-2022/.