2026 Historic House Tour

New Haven, CT — April 16, 2026 — The New Haven Preservation Trust (NHPT) will present its 2026 Historic House Tour, “Tradition Reimagined – Douglas Orr and the Colonial Revival,” on Sunday, June 7, from 1:00 to 5:30 pm, with a reception from 4:00 to 5:30 pm at the New Haven Lawn Club.

Visit six exceptional private homes designed by Douglas Orr, from Lincoln Street to Prospect Hill, along with a thoughtfully adapted apartment in the former Church of the Redeemer. The tour concludes with a reception at the New Haven Lawn Club—one of Orr’s masterpieces.

“Douglas Orr’s work is woven into the architectural identity of New Haven,” said Rona Johnston, President of the New Haven Preservation Trust. “What makes this tour so special is the chance to step inside these remarkable homes—places people admire from the street but rarely have the opportunity to see firsthand.”

“I grew up in a Douglas Orr house, so his architecture has always been close to me,” said Carol Lopez Horsford, Founder and Owner of Farnam Realty Group and Lead Sponsor of the tour. “These homes are not only beautifully designed, but deeply livable—and it’s a pleasure to support an event that opens them to others. It has long been a dream of mine to see a tour of Orrdesigned homes, and I’m thrilled to support NHPT in bringing that vision to life.”

“There’s a world of difference between looking at photographs of architecture and seeing it in person,” said Christopher Wigren, Deputy Director of Preservation Connecticut and an Advisor to the New Haven Preservation Trust. “Historic places take on new meaning when people can experience them directly.”

Douglas Orr (1892–1966) was a leading New Haven architect whose work helped define the city’s residential, civic, academic, and commercial landscape for nearly five decades. Nationally respected, he served as president of the American Institute of Architects in 1947 and as vice-chair of the commission overseeing the White House reconstruction during the Truman administration