What started as a marketing idea among builders to showcase a small grouping of homes in 1953 has grown into an annual event that features multi-million-dollar homes and the latest in products and technology.

In 1953 with only 18 active builders and 59 associate members, the newly formed Home Builders Association of Tyler embarked on an ambitious project modeled in such cities as Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio.

The idea was simple - invite the public into the homes built by association members to showcase better building techniques.

With only a few months to plan its first ever Parade of Homes^tm, the association members rolled up their sleeves and went to work.

“All the builders got our heads together and decided what we wanted to do, and we got after it,” says association member and original Parade participant Chad Hanna Sr. “It took lots of meetings and lots of hard work, but we wanted to market ourselves and open our homes to the public.”

Tyler’s first ever Parade of Homes^tmwas held over eight days in October 1953 and consisted of 10 homes built by 10 different builders on the same block of Idlewood Drive in the Tanglewood Addition. Home prices ranged from $10,000 to $25,000. The location was touted as “country living with city conveniences.”

According to association literature, the Parade drew national attention and “received a 22-page spread of pictures and story in the famous home services magazine, Living for Young Homemakers.”

“The community took a lot of interest in it and supported it,” Hanna says. “The feedback was real good from the community so we decided to continue it each year.”

A year later, the association had grown to 86 members and attendance at the 1954 Parade in Willowbrook Heights more than doubled. The 1955 Parade in Montclair Addition at South Donnybrook Avenue and Amherst Drive saw the number of homes grow to 13 as the Parade continued to gain popularity.

“It started as a marketing tool to bring the public out to see what was, at that particular time, the latest and greatest in décor and design,” said long-time Tyler builder and developer Upton Beall.

Beall participated for the first time in 1957, which was also the first year the Parade included houses from subdivisions scattered across Tyler.

“There were numerous homebuilders who were also developing subdivisions at that time,” Beall said. “This allowed those builders to showcase their subdivisions as well.”

This was a major deviation from the Parade format that, up until that year, only included homes within the same subdivision and often the same block. Beall says while some Parade visitors liked the idea of parking once and visiting all the homes in a short walk, this format often created a problem when there wasn’t enough parking for everyone. As it turned out, many visitors liked the new format and the opportunity to see more subdivisions developing across Tyler.

As for the homes themselves; Parade homes have always been showpieces of the latest in design and technology. In the 1950s, these new state-of-the-art homes featured air conditioning and carports or one-car garages, as well as slab foundations instead of pier and beam construction.

However, the fact that may be of most interest to current homebuilders and buyers is that the average home in the 1950s in Tyler sold for $10 per square foot, with a typical monthly mortgage payment of less than $100.

“I remember making a presentation to the realtor’s association around that time and saying that I thought we could see prices start to creep up to around $15 per square foot in a few years,” Beall says. “A few of them chuckled at that idea.”

Beall was president of the Home Builders Association of Tyler in 1963 when the Parade name was changed for the first and only time to follow a theme. It was called “Fiesta of Homes” and was also the first time the builder’s association charged admission.

“…we hope that the little touch of Mexico that you will witness will add to your interest and pleasure,” Beall wrote in his letter to visitors. “A bonus awaits you this year as some lucky couple will receive an all expense trip to Mexico City and Acapulco as a result of their attendance at this Parade.”

The admission price of 25 cents that year also started the tradition of donating a portion of the admission proceeds to a local charity – something that continues to this day.

“A large portion of this money will go to some worthy charity, and we feel that this nominal charge, besides its worthy purpose, will open the door for you to many rooms full of pleasure viewing,” Beall’s letter continued.

Charities that have benefitted over the years include Make a Wish Foundation, St. Paul Children’s Foundation, Breckenridge Village, St. Louis School and Azleway Boys Ranch to name just a few.

Over the years, the Parade has continued to grow – often featuring more than 50 homes and thousands of visitors. It also continues to evolve. The association itself changed its name to Tyler Area Builders Association in 1983 to be more inclusive to builders and associates in the outlying areas of Tyler.

“It takes months to get ready for a Parade,” says Libby Simmons, TABA executive vice-president. “The key is everything has to come together at just the right time.”

It all starts when a builder or a builder and client agree that the home they are going to build should be a Parade home. The builder then involves all the subcontractors and associate members in the project. It may take months to plan and design every detail of the home. Actual construction may last up to six months more. And all of this must come together at just the right time because the home must be complete, including landscaping of the front yard, by the first day of the Parade.

While the builders and sub contractors are hard at work, the TABA staff is putting together the Parade magazine, creating a map, arranging publicity, and designing and ordering tickets.

Then, the addresses of the homes are revealed to the public the Monday before the Parade begins. Visitors can purchase tickets in advance or at the homes themselves during the Parade. Finally, the Parade begins early on a Saturday morning in June and lasts nine days.

“Many people who come are planning to build or remodel and want to get ideas. Others are looking for the latest products like surround sound and super efficient appliances,” Simmons says. “Some want decorating ideas.”

Whatever the reason, thousands of people still knock on the doors of Tyler’s only Parade of Homes^tmevery year.