Photo Gallery: Christmas Home Tour

In celebration of Saint Mark's School's 50th Anniversary, the school and a local florist hosted a Christmas-themed home tour Saturday that showcased five architecturally-interesting Altadena homes for the general public.

According Dhari Thein, who helped coordinate and plan the event and whose children attend Saint Marks, they were expecting 500 participants but likely got closer to 800 or 900. She said, "Because this is the first time we have done this, we don't know if we will do it again" but these kinds of numbers mean the event was an absolute success.

Of the five houses on the tour, four of them are owned by families whose children attend the Saint Mark's School, and the revenue made from home tour tickets went to support the school.

Each home on the tour is architecturally significant and represents a different period in Altadena's architectural history including, Craftsman, a potential Wallace Neff, and an Italian revival. The homes were all lit beautifully inside and out providing a warm and welcoming ambiance, decorated in holiday décor, and featuring beautiful floral arrangements.

The Henney's garden was decorated by David Frober, who works at Disneyland. He used lights from the park, added outdoor Christmas trees and hung arrangements from the trees.

Mark and Gayle Harris' traditional 1911 Craftsman home was the second stop and built by the same architects that built Grauman's Chinese Theater and the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood.

The Harris' have worked diligently over 18 years to renovate and restore their home to its original splendor while "staying within the footprint of the house." The living area has incredible Stickley pieces and the fireplace is entirely original and features beautiful brick and tile.

The Harris' oldest child is a graduate of Saint Marks and they currently have a daughter in sixth grade and a son in fourth.

Set on a corner lot with large palm trees, the McFadden Estate has come a long way since the current owners purchased it.. Built in 1913 this home was once part of the expansive Porter Ranch but when purchased in 1997 it had fallen into complete disrepair.

A neighbor, Lee Waid remembers it being a "total disaster" with broken windows and the tenants burning wood from the structure of the house for heat.

Mara Saigh said that when her husband bought it he said, "I bought you your dream house." Mark, being an owner of Pasadena Plumbing was not intimidated by the work that was necessary and the Saighs completed the project in only 5 months.

Today the McFadden estate has been restored to its original grandeur with unique and special touches throughout that make the home uniquely Saigh.

Throughout the home Mara has integrated family heirlooms, photographs and items that have been passed down in her family for generations including toys and furniture. "The house is built around family" and she has thoughtfully brought in the history in every room. Their two daughters, Alexia and Ariana attend Saint Marks School.

The event, Christmas in Altadena: A Home Tour, culminated with a holiday boutique at the Liversidge Family home and was altogether a lovely, community oriented evening.

Altadena residents came out in droves and people seemed to have a wonderful time chatting, touring and getting an in depth look at some historical aspects of Altadena architecture. For Saint Marks School, the evening accentuated their strong community and devoted families.

Agatha Henney, whose garden was the first stop on the tour, emphasized that the Saint Marks, "school is oriented towards the community… it is about volunteering, being close to the children. Every year we grow to like the school more and more." All the homeowners expressed deep appreciation for Saint Marks and the values they instill in their children.