By Clyde Noel
Town Crier Correspondent
The St. Francis Women’s club will host its 13th annual holiday home tour, “Christmas At Our House,” with a twilight tour and gala preview party at 5 p.m., Thursday.
Organizers said the four homes in Los Altos and Los Altos Hills have been selected because of their elegance and diversity. These homes will be open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Friday and Saturday.
Guests will be treated to live entertainment with St. Francis student musicians and vocalists singing Christmas songs.
The four homes on tour this year are “wrapped, ribboned and bowed” in anticipation of the coming holidays, organizers said. Approximately 2,500 visitors are expected to view the homes and grounds prepared for the holidays.
The popular “Christmas Gift Shoppe” is stocked with merchandise from 30 local artisans and craftspeople.
Tickets are available for the “Twelfth Night” table setting that includes china and crystal, linens, centerpiece, flatware and table decor for eight valued at more than $5,000.
The first house on tour is a magnificent French estate situated in Los Altos Hills. When you approach the 1.7-acre property with a massive ivy-covered facade, you would never know the home is more than 10,000 square feet with a separate guest house.
Many special features are hidden. The four-bath, four-bedroom residence was designed to be virtually earthquake proof with six 12-inch-thick structurally enhanced walls and more than 400 reinforced cement pylons supporting the foundation. Situated atop a private hill, the home is ideally situated in a way that provides commanding views of Silicon Valley from many of the 24 rooms.
This magnificent home is an architectural prize with its sophisticated design and extraordinary attention to detail. The exterior is loaded with French antiques - all under the tasteful direction of owners Suzanne and Michael Moshier.
The second house is a Mediterranean estate full of family history and culture in the Quarry Hills section of Los Altos Hills. The home reflects the family’s love for their Croatian homeland.
As you step into the foyer, you are greeted by a blend of Croatian stone inlaid with American marble. The courtyard also features a hand-sculptured classical Croatian stone fountain.
The paneled library has cherry and walnut inlaid floors, and coffered ceilings. The paintings are by celebrated Croatian artist Nenad Vlajcic, including the surrealist painting of “The Woman by the Sea.”
The “Christmas at our House” drawing will be held in the Great Room, a single 2,100-square-foot space with barrel-vaulted and domed ceilings.
The 10-acre estate and 15,000 square foot mansion is the home of Lydia and John Vidovich. The three streets in the quarry leading up to the house are named after the three Vidovich daughters, Teresa, Laura and Kate.
The third house features Old World meeting the state-of-the-art technology. The estate, purchased in 1989, includes a 6,400-square-foot main house, a caretakers house and a guest house. The vineyard or main house combines time-honored traditional comforts with a tech-savvy multimedia retreat. It was built as a personal refuge and to host large parties.
The vineyard home opens to a grand pavilion featuring a 16-foot-tall natural Christmas tree adorned with Asian honeysuckle, English ivy, grape leaves, pepper berry, gold leaf and stuffed pheasants.
Adjacent to the foyer is a seating area for media viewing and entertaining. Skylights and domes automatically close and a high-tech system is beautifully integrated behind four large linen-covered speakers alongside the walk-in fireplace.
This spectacular vineyard home serves as a private retreat for Bill and Gay Krause. Bill is the co-founder and former CEO of 3Com, and Gay is the director of the Center For Innovation at Foothill College.
The fourth house of Roger and Tammy Gaw is the featured home in this section (see Page 25).
More than 500 volunteers were involved in producing the tour. Many of the volunteers act as hostesses at the homes. Each year, the tour raises more than $100,000 to benefit St. Francis High School.
Ticket prices for the preview party and twilight tour are $100 per person. The day tour, including tea, is $30 in advance and $40 at the door. The luncheon is $20 per person with reservations.
For reservations, call 969-3508. The Web site is: www.sfhs.com/info/womenssclub.
