(Photo by Nadine Arroyo Rodriguez-KJZZ)

The Niels Petersen House Museum on Priest Drive and Southern Avenue.

A historic mansion in Tempe that is usually closed to the public is open to visitors for a few more days. The city of Tempe opens the Niels Petersen House Museum once a year for the Christmas holiday season. Visitors get a glimpse at the Victorian mansion built in 1892 at the corner of Priest Drive and Southern Avenue.

Tempe closed the museum in 2010 during the recession to save the estimated $30,000 a year it took to operate it. The city opens the Petersen House three weekends leading up to the holidays and operates it with a rotating staff from the Tempe History Museum and volunteers.

 “We do still maintain the house and keep it in excellent conditions and we really love opening the house for the holidays. This house is really a local icon. This is one of the rare examples  where there is still a farm house from back  in the very early days of Tempe that’s still standing," said museum curator Josh Roffler.

The Petersen House Museum is open until Sunday Dec. 22.