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The Billy Sunday home, called Mount Hood, was constructed in the California Bungalow-style architecture and features the Arts-and-Crafts genre of interior design, which stresses the artistic talents of the homeowner and residents.

Photos By David A. Beall, Times-Union

WINONA LAKE - He was probably the most notable resident of the town.

His home has been a landmark since 1957. And, on May 20, the Billy Sunday Visitors Center will open its doors as the latest addition to the restoration of Winona Lake.

"The home has been owned locally since the death of Mrs. Sunday in 1957," said Bill Firstenberger, the curator for the Billy Sunday Home and Museum. "With the new Visitors Center, we would like to take the operation to the next level."

The Visitors Center is being built to be reminiscent of the old tabernacle style of construction. In it, visitors will find a tribute to Sunday's life as a professional baseball player and a leading evangelist in the Prohibition movement.

"The Visitors Center is being constructed in that style to give the visitors the chance to experience a Billy Sunday service and sermon," Firstenberger said. "It will also serve as a starting point for guided tours of the Billy Sunday home, where guides will walk the visitors up the hill."

The center also will feature a gift shop, restrooms and a hands-on display of a replica of the Inglenook - the portion of the Sunday home Helen "Ma" Sunday decorated with curios and tapestries and paintings she did herself.

Everything in the Inglenook display will be created by the artisans in The Village of Winona.

Many of the artifacts will highlight the "arts and crafts" genre of interior design, Firstenberger said. The style of decorating and design used muted earth tone colors, natural wood and open spaces to give the feeling of being surrounded by nature. It also relied on the residents of such homes to decorate the walls with drawings and paintings of various and numerous pictures and designs. Many such examples are being restored in the Sunday home.

"This home has some of the finest examples of the arts and crafts style, and is recognized by architects as the premier example of the arts and crafts interior design in the country," Firstenberger said.

The style of home the Sundays built - a California bungalow - is also in keeping with the arts and crafts philosophy. Its plain, simple architecture and simple floor plan were in stark contrast to the opulent and ornate Victorian style homes that were popular at the dawn of the 20th century.

The construction of the Visitors Center and rehabilitation of the Sunday home is being funded in large part by a $300,000 grant from the Indiana State Museum, Firstenberger said. The facilities will become a part of the state museum's "Historic Sites" program.

"When we received the grant, the state museum expressed their desire to use the home and the Visitors Center as a part of the program," he said. "Sen. (Kent) Adams and Rep. (David) Wolkins have been working with the state to have the facilities made a part of the museum system."

Firstenberger is busily preparing for the May grand opening by putting the finishing touches on the Sunday home, seeing to the completion of the Visitors Center construction - and continuing to seek Billy Sunday photographs, documents and artifacts.

"Anyone who has photos of the Sunday home, inside or out, or who had any personal contact with the Sundays and could provide information or documentation of their lives, I'd love to talk with them," he said.

Firstenberger is also seeking volunteers to serve as tour guides at the center and the Sunday home.

"The training will start in February," he said. "Being a guide will require extensive knowledge of the Sundays and their home. It would be a perfect job for retired teachers, nurses or medical personnel."

For more information on the Billy Sunday Home and Visitors Center, or to volunteer, call 268-0660 or (877) 786-3292. [[In-content Ad]]