Eighty-two. That is the number of homes we vetted for the first annual 10 Most Beautiful Homes feature in this issue. We liberally borrowed the concept from city magazine peer St. Louis Magazine, and we discussed the theme internally for a couple of years before we began the process last fall.
The result is our completely subjective list for 2019. As we produced this story, we realized the implication of the superlative, “most beautiful.” We decided that beauty is a moving target. Next year our list will be different (I don’t think we would ever repeat a home, unless, it changed dramatically over the course of many years) and will again be the “Most Beautiful Homes.”
As you turn through pages 44 to 57, you will perhaps form your own list. You might wonder why a particular home was not selected — your favorite home. Or maybe you will question how we could not have included a cool midcentury-modern home, of which Evansville has more than a few impressive choices. Or a farmhouse; that would be nice to include, as well. When you consider the craftsmanship that helps define our city’s heritage, it is easy to see how we had no problem bringing forward 82 homes to consider. In the end, we worked through a process involving the homeowners’ willingness to allow us to photograph the exterior of their home and to speak to us, the camera-readiness of the home and its visibility from the street (some gorgeous homes are too hidden to be viewed from public roadways), and, to an extent, the location of the home. Though we vetted more than a few homes from our beautiful West Side, in the end they did not work out this year; we have our eyes on others already for 2020.
Beautiful and interesting homes are a mainstay of our content, so naturally you might think that a few of the 10 Most Beautiful Homes have seen ink before in Evansville Living. One has. The home known as the Belle Home was featured 10 years ago in the May/June issue.
Producing the feature was a real collaboration among our creative team. I asked them for comments to share:
Trista Lutgring, Managing Editor: I feel it helped me become more aware of the diverse architecture that exists in the city. Being on the East Side and Downtown 75 percent of the time, it was fun for me to explore the West and North Sides more. And I just enjoyed hearing people talk about their homes — people in Evansville are proud of where they live, and it was so great to hear how much history they knew about the homes they live in.
Elisa Gross, Senior Writer: I think when people are tasked with finding the most beautiful homes in Evansville, they are drawn to specific areas or neighborhoods. This project really showed, though, how the city is filled with beautiful architecture, even in spots where you might not think to look. And while beauty is in the eye of the beholder, there are many properties in Evansville that can objectively be admired and appreciated by all.
Zach Straw, Photographer: Photographing the 10 Most Beautiful Homes made me appreciate the architecture of the area. I had no idea we had such a wide variety of styles represented here.
Heather Gray, Creative Director: Since I don’t live in the city, taking time to explore the neighborhoods of Evansville always is an eye-opening experience. From homes I’ve admired for years to ones I never knew existed, it’s a pleasure to learn more about and highlight these 10 beauties.
If you have suggestions for us on homes to consider for next year, as always, I look forward to hearing from you!
Kristen K. Tucker
Publisher & Editor
