CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Save CR Heritage is reviving a beloved tradition with its Hidden Gems Tour of Homes, from 4-7 p.m. Sunday, June 14, 2026.

Tour-goers will receive rare access inside a variety of privately owned homes showcasing the charm, history and character of the Mound View Neighborhood in northeast Cedar Rapids during this exclusive event.

Start at the late-1800s Greene-Franchere home at 1757 D Ave. NE for tickets and a map of tour stops. The gorgeous Victorian mansion, designed by Brucemore architects Josselyn & Taylor, is one of a half-dozen stops on the tour.

Participants will learn the history of the homes, including previous residents and their stories, along with a bonus discussion of an artist’s work outside of her home in the B Avenue Historic District. While the homes are technically within walking distance, transportation is up to each participant in this self-guided tour.

Please note that some of these gems are “hidden” on hills and have stairs to navigate. Tickets, at $25 each, support the revitalization of the historic Zastera Pharmacy building, 1137 Ellis Blvd. NW, as an architectural salvage shop and community hub.

Cash or check only, so all proceeds go directly to the revitalization work.

Other stops include the childhood home of artist Grant Wood. His father died when Grant was just 10, and the family moved to Cedar Rapids.

The Mound View area is where the budding artist began his career, selling his artwork to neighbors.

That artwork tradition continues in Mound View, where another tour stop includes artist Dana Sindelar discussing the inspiration behind the fence art she created next to Central Park.

Wood often repurposed everyday items in his artwork and his home, so this fence art is a perfect fit in the neighborhood, with Sindelar using vintage signs, bicycle parts and more for her work of art.

A piece of history rescued by Save CR Heritage volunteers is among the highlights in another stop on the tour.

Dubbed “The Precious” by volunteers, a newel post saved from the early-1900s home attached to the Music Loft on First Avenue SE was repurposed in a late-1800s home in the Mound View neighborhood by the current owners, who did extensive work to save the house.

They found The Precious to be a perfect fit for a missing newel post.

After years of neglect, the new owners have transformed the home into the Schoolhouse Airbnb.

The Waterhouse House is one of the main inspirations behind the name of the Hidden Gems Tour of Homes.

Tucked among magnificent trees on a hillside in the Mound View Neighborhood, the house is the oldest on the tour.

The current homeowners have been excellent stewards, and will share some of the fascinating history of the Waterhouse family, considered “sugar barons” in Hawaii, along with changes the home has undergone as tour-goers take a look inside.

Legend has it that the McIvor House was built as a wedding gift for the daughter of Judge George Greene, a founding father of Cedar Rapids, while her brother received the mansion across the street.

Regardless of whether or not that is true, the McIvor House is a stunning home on its own, and another inspiration for the Hidden Gems tour, nestled behind lovely gardens.

Greene was the owner of Mound Farm, for which the Mound View Neighborhood is named, with the family legacy continuing in homes in the neighborhood that have stood the test of time.