Selma Tour of Homes in March to feature Fair Oaks Square and its colorful Victorian cottages

Selma-Dallas County Historic Preservation Society has announced that the 49^th annual Historic Selma Tour of Homes for 2025 will feature Fair Oaks Square in Old Town Selma.

The square is known for its renovated Victorian cottages painted in bright colors that earned them the nickname “the painted ladies.” Along with Fair Oaks, the tour will include nine homes along with Sturdivant Hall, the Smitherman Building, and the Art Guild.

Hosted by the Selma-Dallas County Historic Preservation Society, the Selma Tour of Homes will be held on March 14 and 15. Tickets are available on Eventbrite or on sale at the Vaughan Smitherman Museum on Union Street from 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. on event days.

The Fair Oaks mansion and cottages on tour are part of the once beautiful and thriving turn-of-the-century neighborhood that were in disrepair when purchased in 1980-81 by Circle “S” Industries, Inc. and renovated. For this project, the mansion and 12 Victorian cottages were reclaimed and restored. The endeavor received much national acclaim and an Honor Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the society said in a statement.

The Selma-Dallas County Historic Preservation Society said the cottages typify the houses built in Southern cities in the years following the Civil War. The need for economical, close-in housing for the merging middle class resulted in the subdivision of larger landholdings, such as the Henderson House. The development of steam-powered lathes and scroll saws made possible the intricate ornamentation known as gingerbread that you will find on the Union Street homes. The six cottages along this street vary in date from the mid-1870s to about 1910 and follow styles popular at the time. The four homes on the east side of Union were constructed in the 1890s from the same plan, probably from a Victorian plans book. Each featured a broad front porch, a projecting parlor bay, and a wide central hall. Gingerbread trims the porch and gables and form ornamental brackets supporting the roof overhangs. Working with Anne Strand, David Tipmore is responsible for the bright colors now seen in the four homes. These are now lovingly refered to as the “the painted ladies.”

The Strand home and art studio was built between 1899 and 1901. It is nestled at the end of a row of four Victorian dwellings in Fair Oaks Square. Architecturally the cottage is crafted in “Carpenter Gothic,” a derivative of the Gothic Revival style popular for churches and colleges in the 1840s to 1890s. This style was much lighter, smaller and less expensive than Gothic Revival and was typically made of wood rather than brick or stone.  

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During the 1980s restoration, the house’s exterior was authentically restored while the interior was modernized to retain many of the original features, such as deep moldings, interesting millwork and period fireplaces. Today the home is filled with inherited antiques, the Strand’s personal art collection and homeowner’s own artwork and décor.  

Fair Oaks Books has more than 3,000 carefully curated used and new books and was started in 2021 by owner David Tipmore. The three rooms at the front of the home, once its two parlors and dining room, have kept their original fireplaces, molding, and chandeliers. In the rear of the home is a one-bedroom apartment.

The coziness of this cottage invite you in to search for that favorite read or album, while enjoying the warmth and comfort of the cottage, the society said.

Tipmore Cottage that will be open in the tour follows the guidelines of the Victorian plan book used to build the four colorful cottages on Union Street. The porch’s ceiling is painted the classic “haint” blue, believed to keep evil spirits away. The two-bedroom, two-bath 2,200-square-foot home is slightly larger than its companions. The owner has filled the rooms with family treasures, including a baby grand piano, antiques, mementos from his travels, and his own book collection.

Italianate-style Gigi’s Cottage was authentically restored while the interior was modernized to retain many of the original features in the 1980s with clean lines uncluttered by excessive ornamentation, the society said. The home boasts some of the original fireplaces, original pine flooring and crown molding. The two porches provide true Southern comfort while sitting and enjoying the beauty of this neighborhood. The current owner loves the screened in porch and the privacy fence of the backyard, which provides a soothing rest at day’s end.