This weekend’s Ironton Cooperative Club Homes Tour will feature a holiday first – the former Marting Hotel.

Thursday, November 29, 2001

This weekend’s Ironton Cooperative Club Homes Tour will feature a holiday first – the former Marting Hotel.

The historic hotel, now renovated as the Park Avenue Apartments, will be a highlight of the 34th annual tour Sunday, which will feature five other city homes, club members said.

"The Marting Hotel, established in 1919, was elegance personified," the club’s tour brochure states.

Times and economic conditions caused the building to deteriorate before a group of business associates saw the potential of the ravaged hotel and restored it according to its Historical Landmark status.

Rooms have been cleaned and restored to one and two bedroom apartments. Four of the apartments will be on view during the tour, the brochure states.

"A bonus for this tour is Charlie Wolfe (the father-in-law of manager Karen Wolfe) who played in the hotel with the Todd Mayne and Bill Bodmer bands as their drummer.

Charlie is retired and willing to give a talk on the ‘old days’ when swing was in and the hotel was a ‘hotspot’ for the entire Tri-State area."

The Ironton Co-Operative Club’s Homes Tour begins Sunday, Dec. 2, at 1 p.m. Reservations for tours may be made by calling 532-1222 or 532-2917.

The club operates its homes tour to raise money for education and civic assistance projects. The tour lasts from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $10. No children under age 14 are admitted.

Homes on the tour include: the home of Brenda Broome, the Home of Bob Price, the Home of Dave and Carol Waller, the Home of Tyna and Frank McCown, Central Christian Church, the Lawrence County Museum, Park Avenue Apartments.

Before the Homes Tour, local history enthusiasts and the curious alike have another chance to tour the holiday sights in Ironton.

The Lawrence County Historical Society’s "The Spirit of Christmas" candlelight Christmas walking tour of the downtown churches and museum will be held Saturday, Dec. 1.

The annual tour kicks off at First Baptist Church, Fifth and Vernon streets, at 5 p.m., and is held in cooperation with the Ironton Historical Churches. Donations are accepted.

The tour is designed as a walking tour. Dress warmly and wear comfortable walking shoes. Duration of the tour is approximately two hours, with a 10 minute program in each church.

Churches on the historical society’s Spirit of Christmas walking tour include: First Baptist Church, Christ Episcopal Church, St. Paul Lutheran Church, St. Lawrence O’Toole Church, Gateway Baptist Church, First United Methodist Church, First Presbyterian Church, Lawrence County Museum.