Five homes in the Northport and Omena area will be included in the Northport Women's Club annual Home Tour next week.

The tour, which will help the club fund its 2008 student scholarships, will be held next Wednesday, July 11, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the five homes. Tickets are $15 and available at participating homes on the day of the tour.

The five homes featured include:

• The Putnam Cloud Tower House in Omena, which was built in 1876 about one mile south of Omena. In 1936, the home and 131 acres were donated to The Society of Jesus, and it became part of Villa Marquette.

In 2003, a group of Omena residents learned of the proposed demolition of the house and were concerned about the history that would be lost. The Jesuits agreed to donate the house to the Omena Historical Preservation Association. The house was relocated to Omena, restored as much as possible to its original condition, and serves as a home for the Omena Historical Society, a museum, and a venue for educational programs and meetings.

• Jim and Kathy Miller’s home on Omena Point Road. The home is located on the site that once provided a tennis court and theater for the old Omena Inn. The court was removed, but the theater was salvaged and is the Miller’s garage and workshop.

The home was built in 2005 utilizing modern technologies such as structurally integrated panels. There are no load-bearing walls upstairs, and the roof is supported solely by exposed beams. To help the Millers achieve their goal of having a modern house that appeared older, they included a stone-faced porch to resemble the old stone pillars by the road, remnants of the Omena Inn’s porch. African mahogany and white wood trim was used in the crown molding and kitchen.

• Jim and Donna Chapman’s cottage on South Shore Drive in Northport. After the Chapmans bought a wood lot on Northport Bay, they spent time studying the heirloom cottages in the village and were determined to have their home fit in with the natural environment and neighborhood.

The exterior includes cedar shake siding, clustered double hung windows, and a white picket fence. Inside, the Chapmans used bead board and white-washed pine on the walls and ceiling, the kitchen is open to the living and dining rooms, and a bedroom is designed specifically for their grandchildren.

• Dan and Sue Brondyk’s “Chameleon” house on M-22 between Northport and Leland. The 1,650-square-foot-home stands eight stories tall and was constructed with prefabricated, structural steel frame elements and panels. Structurally insulated panels form the building shell and provide high insulation values, and exposed concrete floors include a radiant heat system and act as a heat sink for sunlight.

The Brondyks said they built such a tall home because it sits on a triangular, one-acre lot with 40-foot setbacks, and the building footprint needed to be small. In winter, the house takes on a gray cast blending into the sky, while in other seasons it reflects the changing colors of the trees and sky, hence the “Chameleon” name.

• Greg and Shirley Hodge’s “quarry” home on Woolsey Lake Road. (See related story).

Additional information about the Home Tour is available by calling club members Sue Landes at 386-5618 or Pauline Nielsen at 386-5060.