The 2020 St. Margaret’s Hospital Guild Decorators’ Show House and Gardens, the longest running decorator show house in the nation, will be virtual this year. All proceeds will benefit Eskenazi Health’s COVID-19 relief effort.
As has been the tradition for nearly 60 years, landscape and interior designers and their support teams donate hundreds of hours, as do members of St. Margaret’s Hospital Guild, to refurbish an area home and its surrounding property.
The historic Fox Hill Manor, located at 10 W. 65th St., will be showcased during this year’s event, which is significantly different from all others that have preceded it.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the originally scheduled event (April 25-May 10) was postponed. The event has been restructured as a free video tour beginning on July 17. To access the video tour of historic Fox Hill Manor, please visit: showhouseindy.org.
There is no fee to watch the video, but all donations will benefit the Eskenazi Health COVID-19 Crisis Response Fund. This year, 100 percent of all proceeds will directly support the Eskenazi Health COVID-19 Crisis Response Fund established by the Eskenazi Health Foundation. This fund will enable Eskenazi Health leadership to meet emerging needs as they work to treat and prevent the spread of COVID-19. Some of the emerging needs identified include, but are not limited to:
- Technology, equipment and infrastructure required to form intensive care rooms
- Surges in staffing levels
- Telemedicine technology
- Basic needs support for essential caregiving and support staff
- A safe COVID-19 recuperation site for homeless patients
The brick and timbered Tudor Revival home at 10 W. 65th St. was built in 1919 by Clark E. Mallery and Roberta Spellman Mallery. Mallery was one of the founders of the American Garment Company, a manufacturer of women’s clothing. Mrs. Mallery was the aunt of Mrs. Robert H. Tyndall, wife of the 34th mayor of Indianapolis.
The residence is located in the northside Indianapolis Meridian Hills neighborhood known as Wellington Estates. The area north of 64th Street and west of Meridian Street was originally part of a farm owned by the Roberts family, who were early settlers of Washington Township. The land was subdivided in 1923 by Oscar Schmidt, a partner in the multi-generational real estate company, Lorenz Schmidt and Sons, a prominent Indianapolis firm from the late 1800s to the mid-1900s. In 1937, Wellington Estates was included in the incorporation of the Town of Meridian Hills.
In 1987, the house was sold to its fourth and current owners, James Allan Hall III and Kathleen S. Hall, M.D. The Halls have been stewards of the property throughout their 32 years of ownership. During their residency, they named the property “Fox Hill Manor.” With many areas for entertaining – both on the sprawling grounds of the property and inside the spacious residence – the Halls’ home has been the site of many gatherings. A unique multi-story addition to the residence was constructed in 2004, which increased the square footage of the original home to its present size of 6,168 square feet. St. Margaret’s Hospital Guild is working with the Halls in featuring this home as its 2020 Decorators’ Show House and Gardens.
For more than 110 years the St. Margaret’s Hospital Guild has been a key partner in furthering Eskenazi Health’s mission. From its beginning in 1907, the guild has raised more than $13 million to support the work of Eskenazi Health. This generous philanthropic support has benefited Eskenazi Health patients directly through programs and services. The dedicated members of the guild work tirelessly and enthusiastically through the Decorators’ Show House and Gardens and many other initiatives for the benefit of Eskenazi Health’s patients and its mission.
“One of Eskenazi Health’s most loyal and valued benefactors through the years has been the St. Margaret’s Hospital Guild, whose incredible generosity has helped sustain and improve our world class health programs and services,” said Dr. Lisa Harris, CEO at Eskenazi Health. “The incredible philanthropic efforts of the women of the St. Margaret’s Hospital Guild have benefited countless individuals in the Eskenazi Health community, and we are eternally grateful for their tireless contributions that help our patients live heathier and more fulfilling lives.”
St. Margaret’s Hospital Guild has distributed funds to numerous areas of Eskenazi Health, including the Sandra Eskenazi Center for Brain Care Innovation, Women’s and Children’s Services and the Newborn Intensive Care Unit. The guild was also a key supporter and a strong voice for the construction of the Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital and Eskenazi Health campus.
“The women of St. Margaret’s Hospital Guild have been incredibly generous to Eskenazi Health through the years, and we greatly appreciate their dedication to helping us make Eskenazi Health all it can be,” said Ernest Vargo II, CFRE, president and CEO of the Eskenazi Health Foundation. “The St. Margaret’s Hospital Guild Show House has been a cherished staple on the calendar for so many in central Indiana for a very long time, and I’m confident this unique edition of this wonderful event will be very well received.”
This year’s show house marks the 59th time the guild has hosted the event, which will feature more than 50 area designers and landscapers using their talent and creativity to transform the historic Fox Hill Manor house. For additional information, please visit showhouseindy.org.
