A peek inside: Auburn Vintage Historic Home Tour benefits State Theatre

High on a hill and situated at the end of a parking lot in Downtown Auburn sits an old Victorian home, one many people may have wondered about. Couple Gary Reents and Cydney Bender live in the property built sometime between 1891 and 1894 and which was once home to former Auburn Mayor Joseph Elder, who raised his family on the property. Those who always wondered what was behind the doors of the uniquely located home are in luck because the property is one of six featured in the Auburn State Theatre's Vintage Home Tour scheduled May 7. The property, which has historically been called the Elder home, was bought by the Elders in 1910. Elder passed the property on to son Robert, who lived in the property through the 1980s. Robert wrote three novels and spent 16 years of his career writing for the Auburn Journal. Reents said Robert did little to change the house and let the landscaping become very overgrown. "It was the spooky place where the weird guy lived," he said. A local developer bought the property from Robert and used the space as an office for a few years before Reents and his wife bought it. Since then, Reents and Bender have worked to modernize the space as a home while still preserving the original charm of the historic household. "We tried to renovate the house to be modern but not stray at all from its original bones and what it originally was," Reents said. Windows, plumbing and wiring were replaced, but Reents said he included historic elements like push-button light switches. "We really wanted to maintain that feeling of this is still an old house with modern materials," he said. The home is 2,000 square feet and was once three bedrooms; now there are two bedrooms, including a guest bedroom downstairs. The upstairs, which used to have two bedrooms, has been transformed into a master suite with a very special closet. "My wife has a closet that is the envy of anyone who comes and sees it," Reents said. The home boasts many original pieces, like the window frames, several doors, newell post, staircase and more. Also on the Elder home property is another property on the tour, a three-bedroom, one-bathroom, one-story craftsman built in 1925. The couple uses this property as their guest house. The craftsman retains much of its original charm, with a lot of original woods wainscoting throughout. "We left the character and updated the facilities," Reents said of the property. In addition to the historic charm of the Reents-Bender home, there is also modern artwork scattered throughout. Bender is an artist and has a keen eye for unique pieces. The Auburn State Theatre Vintage Home Tour will feature six homes, all built between 1890 and 1925. Each home is uniquely decorated, and all are in or near Downtown Auburn. Each home will be staffed with docents during the tour who will be prepared to answer questions and highlight the great history of each property. "They are going to see what old Auburn was like," said Linda Nash, event organizer. "They will see the beautiful older homes of Auburn. So many people walk by these homes and wonder, and now they get a chance to go inside." Nash, in partnership with Realtor Gayle Morris, planned the event together and got most of the homes through cold-calling owners of the historic homes. This is the second time they've planned the home tour to benefit the Auburn State Theatre. The first tour was in 2018. Tickets are $25 a person. Patrons purchasing tickets online will need to pick up a map and brochure at the State Theatre Box Office. Tickets can be purchased at Green Acres Nursery, 380 Nevada Street, and Wildflower, 809 Lincoln Way, both in Auburn. The map and brochure will be given to you at time of purchase. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and people are welcome to start at any property they like. All proceeds will benefit the State Theatre, which had to cancel recent events after its ceiling was damaged earlier this month. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit auburnstatetheatre.org.