Forty-one years ago, it was probably enough for the inaugural Ryan Place Candlelight Christmas Tour to simply open up holiday-decorated houses and let the public muse on the “quaint” vintage houses that comprise Fort Worth’s first planned development. Alas, no more.
I’ve been covering the storied tour for over 10 years, and I can attest to the ever-improving quality of level of taste and ingenuity of design and decor. Yours truly is hosting the end-of-tour fête, aka the Wine Down, and to prepare, I’ve been subjecting every cluttered corner of our house to an unkind, cold, and critical eye. As is customary, the Tour Committee has assembled an impressive and varied repertoire of residences offering a snapshot of the eclectic enclave that is Ryan Place in Fort Worth.
Here’s your first look at the stunning historic homes on the 41st annual Candlelight Christmas in Ryan Place, which takes place this weekend Dec. 6 and 7.
The Thompson House
The Thompson home offers a glimpse into the varied fortunes of Ryan Place. Built by P.K. Thompson for a then-sizeable sum of $16,500 in 1919, the classic red brick home teetered into foreclosure in the Depression. However, the Thompson family managed to stay in the house by opening it to boarders, who helped supplement the family’s income enough to keep the home.
The current owners, relative newcomers to Ryan Place, were having second thoughts about their fixer-upper purchase in 2022. They left a flawless abode in Monticello and were having a reality check about the scale of the project they were undertaking.
Practically refugees in their own home, they lived in the basement for nine months while the ground floor was reworked. The library became a ground-floor primary suite. A music room became the dining room, and the kitchen relocated to the back of the house to capture wooded backyard views.
The owners say they knew they landed in the right home after experiencing a legendary Ryan Place Halloween. That’s when thousands, yes thousands of trick-or-treaters besieged their front porch.
The Foster Berry Home
You can’t say the Ryan Place Candlelight Christmas doesn’t like to mix it up. Included on the tour is this winsome Midcentury Modern built in 1950.
Many visitors to historic Ryan Place assume that the later-built houses in the neighborhood are the result of tearing down an older structure, as I did with my Dallas bias, because that’s what Dallas does. However, almost all are the result of infill of unsold lots from the original platting of the development.
In 2021, current owner Kathy Berry undertook remodeling the entire house with the capable assistance of her daughter Karly Johnston.
Blending period elements with antiques, the mother and daughter added a new fireplace flanked by bookcases and lovely moldings with fashionable fixtures. Also remodeled was the charming kitchen with new cabinets in an appealing mint green.
Just beyond the kitchen, the back garden has become Kathy’s refuge, where her landscaped shrubs and bloom-filled beds have become a new outlet for creative expression.
The Todd Home
This stately Georgian-style home is the work of legendary Fort Worth architect Wylie G. Clarkson, architect of many of Ryan Place’s grander abodes. His civic projects include the Masonic Temple, First Methodist Church, and Arlington Heights High School, among many others. I enjoyed writing about this Elizabeth Blvd. treasure when it was last on the market.
Inside the classical grandeur echoes the exterior with classical elements, including pilasters, paneling, and dentil molding. Despite its proud, staid mien, the residence has had its share of weird.
The front yard once was home to a ten-foot-long topiary Loch Ness monster whose footprint can still be detected. An oft-absentee owner installed a shrimp pond, which was razed when it was found to be a source of West Nile virus.
The current owners have had more than the average share of homeowner tribulations, some of near Biblical proportions, including termites, gas leaks, multiple basement floods, severely frozen pipes, and a lightning strike.
The owners have endured and mastered these challenges and taken on Herculean renovations with courage and enthusiasm. The foundation was raised three inches, the Ludowici roof was relaid, and copper gutters and drains thrown in for good measure. The original kitchen sink was found stashed in a closet and reinstalled in its original location. Future projects include finishing the basement and a redo of the carriage house.
The Hughs Home
The Hughs home is the oldest house on the tour, built in 1914. Originally a fine, large four-square of 2,749 square feet, the home underwent an extensive renovation by none other than 6th Avenue Homes, a company that I have been following with avid interest since their inception.
I’ve been told that the extension seamlessly blends with the older part of the structure. Skeptical? Well, this firm is experienced and first-rate. The original front parlor is, well, original. Period coffers on the ceiling, Batchelder tiled fireplace flanked by cabinets with symmetrical over windows have all been respected and restored.
As to the new: Kitchens are rooms where we seem to have free rein to indulge our design desires in older houses. Is this because they were considered the domain of servants, utility rooms, certainly undecorated, perhaps entered occasionally by the mistress of the house to give instructions?
What a difference a century makes. In 2025, the kitchen is usually the most expensive room in the house employing costly stone, tile hardware, and deluxe appliances.
The Lucas/Goode Home
The Goode in this couple is very good, and the Lucas isn’t bad either. I’ve watched this pair at work over the years on my neighborhood dog walks and admired their previous charming cottage on Willing Avenue, now occupied by Goode’s father. For reasons about which I’m still unclear, this brave pair took on one of the most daunting bungalows two blocks down.
The front porch heaved and pushed the mini pillars at wonky angles. Who wouldn’t be scared off by that? Pepe Lucas apparently. His team of contractors sorted the scary porch, repointed the brick, and repoured the concrete. And that’s just the exterior.
And then there is the Goode, Britany Goode. I admired her color savvy in her previous Willing house, but as happens with designers, each project stretches.
If You Go
Early Bird: $25 through Nov. 29
Buy tickets online or at the Ticket Booth at St. John’s Anglican Church during tour weekend.
Tour Hours:
Sat, Dec 6, 12–9 PM • Sun, Dec 7, 12–5 PM
Tickets for the 41st annual Ryan Place Candle Light Christmas Tour may be purchased online. or at St. John’s Anglican Church.