The Pella Victorian Villa is a featured attraction of this weekend’s Gateway to Hope Garden Tour.

The 145-year-old villa is recognized as an Iowa historic site, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This is the first time in 30 years that the villa, owned by Stan and Alma Vermeer and located just off of Highway 163 southeast of Pella, has been open for public tours.

The villa is one of five Pella-area attractions on this sixth annual charitable garden tour June 24th through the 26th to benefit Nicaraguan youth. Other gardens belong to: David and Rhonda Kermode (510 Broadway), John and Teresa Rietveld (906 Vermeer Road), Gary and Sandi Vander Molen (1806 Bayard Ave.), and Ron and Cindy Willemsen (1543 West Third Street).

MORE DETAILS (From Carol Van Klompenburg)

The Vermeers purchased the villa in 2011 and have done extensive restoration and renovation on its second and third floors, along with its exterior and grounds. Previous owner Lila Turnbull had restored the first floor during her 32 years as owner. Among the home’s notable features are a Mansard roof, a spacious wrap-around veranda, ornate exterior corbels (support brackets), and a 12-foot grand staircase—just one of six staircases in the home. Typical period furnishings are used on all three floors of the home.

The other gardens are both rural and in-town, featuring sun and shade plants, both perennials and annuals. The Willemsen back yard features raised beds in gracefully curving retaining walls. Rhonda Kermode’s favorite items in her yard are her fairy and gnome gardens. The Vander Molen’s country garden is dotted with repurposed items: steel wheels, old doors, and porch posts from a former home. The Rietveld front yard is bordered by a prairie area, and a beautiful backyard bed began in an area of clay where grass refused to grow.

On Friday June 24 and Saturday June 25, plants, garden art, and ceramics will be available for purchase at the Pella Victorian Villa. A picnic meal can also be purchased for $5 on Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The 2016 Gateway to Hope Garden Tour is sponsored by Friends of Chinandega, a ministry of Faith Church of Pella. All proceeds fund church programs for children and youth in Chinandega, Nicaragua, where Faith Church has five sister churches.
Admission to the villa and gardens is by donation with a suggested minimum donation of $10 for the tour. Visitors may begin the tour at any one of the five locations.
Tour hours are Friday, June 24, 3 to 8 p.m.; Saturday, June 25 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, June 26 from 1 to 4 p.m.

Additional information and a tour map are available here. Tour maps will also be available at each tour location.