The Willow Glen Resident

Photograph by Skye Dunlap

Charmer: Even though Laura and Ray Jaeger's English Tudor home has doubled in size, it retains its Old World charm, Laura says.

Tudor charm, '50s style highlight a tour of five Willow Glen homes

In its 16th year, the WG Lifestyles tour raises money for S.J. Day Nursery

By Christine M. Lias

Laura Jaeger doesn't feel the least bit uneasy about opening up her recently remodeled English Tudor home to a crowd of strangers on Sunday. In fact, she's looking forward to it.

Jaeger and husband Ray and four other couples will open their homes to the Glen community as part of the 16th annual Willow Glen Lifestyles house tour to benefit San Jose Day Nursery.

Event chairwoman Jane McClelland said she thinks the fundraiser will be "very successful," likely raising about as much as it did last year for the urban nursery school--about $20,000. Located in downtown San Jose since 1916, the school is operated by the United Way and has a sliding fee scale based on parents' income.

The event kicks off at 10 a.m. on May 3. With a $20 ticket, the curious get access to five Glen houses of differing eras and styles, and receive an invitation to a garden party with wine, cheese and music.

Jaeger's Fairview Avenue house was built in the late 1920s as an English Tudor cottage. When Jaeger, husband Ray and older daughter Jessie moved into the home last September, they immediately set out to remodel.

The entry was moved from the side to the front of the house. Architects changed the entire floor plan, adding another bedroom, bathroom and family room. Construction workers installed new windows and a back deck. Workers added new cabinets, lighting fixtures and granite features to the kitchen area.

Even though the size of the house doubled, the old house never lost its antique charm, and the original doors and living room were kept, Jaeger said.

At Christmastime, neighbors along Fairview asked the Jaegers to host a dessert party as a way to get to know everyone. There a neighbor familiar with the San Jose Day Nursery asked the Jaegers to hold an open house.

"I just couldn't say no," Jaeger said. "I've been showing my house off a lot since the whole thing's been done. And I think [the fundraiser is] a great thing."

Five people will be present in Jaeger's house to give tours. Jaeger has been busy cleaning up her house, landscaping and completing other touches such as setting the dining room table and vacuuming.

"I'm proud of what I did, what the contractors did," Jaeger said. "I want to give the people of Willow Glen an opportunity to get ideas about remodeling, maybe even throwing some business the contractors' way."

Sock Hop

Cindy Marciano is also preparing her 1958 ranch home for viewing. The Marcianos purchased the home four years ago, drawn to the large oak trees that line Sweetbriar Drive and Willow Glen as a whole--where Cindy's husband, John, grew up.

The Marcianos raised the ceiling to 11 feet and had construction workers add crown molding throughout the house. The kitchen got a face lift with new custom cherry cabinets, a six-burner gas-range oven, hardwood floors and granite countertops. Horticulturists added lush flowers to the large front yard, and the Marcianos installed a pool in the back yard. And, as in the Jaegers' case, a neighbor suggested volunteering the house for the pending fundraiser.

"It's a great fundraiser. That's why we're doing it," Marciano said. She requests that visitors remove their shoes before entering her home so as not to damage the hardwood floors and white carpeting.

The five homes on the tour will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The tour will assemble in the Willow Glen Elementary School parking lot beforehand. Afterward, a garden party is planned at one of the houses.

"We're the only agency that uses homes in Willow Glen, also one of the only organizations that sponsors owner-occupied homes," said event chair Beverly Singh.

McClelland said the fundraiser began 16 years ago due to the nursery school's financial difficulties and has been successful ever since. "The San Jose Day Nursery used to be a favorite old charity," McClelland said. "The board was made of the wives of San Jose businessmen, most of whom lived in Willow Glen. They had tried other fundraisers, a fashion show. ... This seemed an ideal way to raise money."

Tickets are still available at Casa Casa or The Eclectic Touch on Lincoln Avenue, the San Jose Day Nursery at 33 N. Eighth St. or by phone at 288-9667.

"We toured the day care and saw that it's a special place," Jaeger said. "It makes me feel good that the money will go to help those kids."

[ Back to Contents Page | Willow Glen Resident Home Page | Archives ]