Symphony Showhouse fundraiser canceled

The Symphony Showhouse scheduled first in spring and then in fall at a historic manor house in College Hill has been canceled.

“A number of unanticipated structural issues arose which have prevented establishing a firm completion date,” Lilly-Ann Huffman of the Women’s Association of the Wichita Symphony said in a statement this week.

The association sponsors the showhouse as a fundraiser for the symphony. Interior designers redecorate a chosen house which is then open to the public for tours. The last showhouse was in 2011, and the women’s association had been looking for a suitable candidate since then. Clapp Manor at 320 N. Belmont was announced as Symphony Showhouse XVIII in September 2014, and it was to be open for tours the first two weeks in May. But before designers could get to work, structural problems came to light that postponed it. It was rescheduled for Sept. 26 to Oct. 11, but more problems arose that postponed it again, without any new dates being proposed.

Huffman said this week that she could say no more about the Belmont house, but she said the association was not giving up on the idea of having showhouses.

“We have had many wonderful showhouses,” she said. “The women’s association is totally dedicated to supporting our symphony in all ways.”

This story was originally published November 18, 2015 at 9:49 AM with the headline "Symphony Showhouse fundraiser canceled."