I’ve wondered what the story was with this old house for years. Heard it was moved decades ago when Group Health was built. Owner used to live on property in trailer. Now the roof is gone, sadly looks like the house has taken a beating. Anyone know what the structure/property’s history is? Probably wont be standing for too much longer, I’d imagine.
CHS Capitol Hill Seattle News
Community News For All of Seattle's Capitol Hill
[…] in and around Capitol Hill. One of the largest will be at 16th and Harrison, slated to replace one of the most amazing (and dilapidated) houses in the neighborhood. Graham’s development company gProperties purchased the existing house for $1.3 million. King […]
I don’t know but I do know it has been around and looking pretty haunted since I was a young child (and I’m now 37)…I’ve always wondered about the story.
I have lived across the street from the house for 10 years, and know the seller, and several stories that are partly true and partly gossip, and all make for great neighborhood chat. One story is the house was built in 1889, and moved to the hill from the Belltown area. Steps from the sidewalk to the porch were never built, so access has always been from they alley to the back door.
There were several offers on the house, and the seller decided not to accept the offer from a developer who wanted to put up an apodment complex.
The offer that was accepted is also acceptable to us, and we are the ones that will be seeing it every day we look out our windows. Yes, it does not have the turn-of-the-century feel like my house, but the entire block is an eclectic mix, and we dig the new design.
So just 2 or 3 years ago I had heard (possibly from you, it was at a block party) that the owners still lived in a trailer on the property. From your post it seems that the property has been sold and something new is going to be built there (I’m sad for the old house, but it’s clearly been beyond repair for so long now that of course this is what would have to happen. I will miss the turret though). Is the design for the new building available to view anywhere (I assume it has already passed city review), and what kind of unit is is going to be (single family, condos, apts?), and was it purchased by a developer or a future owner? Thanks.
oh, just saw the link to the article above about the row houses; so never mind my questions.
we have always call this the Ghost House. Such a great structure
The Group Health rumor may be true. This looks very similar to the Victorian on 15th in a photo I picked up at an antique store awhile back: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tigerzombie/5058467015/in/photostream/
I wrote a bit about it in a pre-CHS iteration of Re:Take, http://seattlest.com/2010/11/19/retake_group_health_north_part_4.php
Robert, that certainly looks like the house. It’s amazing. Other comments have suggested that the house was moved from Belltown but your picture looks like it wasn’t moved that far. I had heard that group health moved the home for the owners after construction. My interest in the house was piqued back in 1994 when I began a project to restore a Victorian home that was condemned. A woman used to live in the trailer but no work was ever attempted on the house as far as I know. A realtor told me he offered to repair the roof because he knew once that went the structure was dead. He said the owner declined and now of course the roof is open to the weather. I’m surprised the city has allowed it to stand this long. It used to not have any fencing around it. Thanks for posting the picture!
The buildings are definitely cut from the same cloth. Their facades seem identical.
I just spent awhile trying to compare the Google aerial, King County iMap’s 1936 aerials, a 1912 Baist map, and a 1917 Sanborn map.
The Sanborn has particularly detailed building footprints. Both maps have street addresses. I think it’s significant that neither of them have “339” — the numbering goes 337, 341, then 345. Each plat is equal in width. If you look at the King County iMap plats, 339 is straddling twice the width of 345. One house is now where two used to be.
Also, 345’s 1917 Sanborn footprint is spot on. So is the footprint for the old Victorian where Group Health is now at 310 15th. But neither of the houses at 337 or 341 match the decaying Victorian at 339. The 1936 aerials match the earlier footprints.
If the house came from Belltown, that would probably mean displacement during the Denny Regrade. I would expect it there by 1912, and certainly by 1917. Displacement for final Denny Regrade was completed by 1936, but we still have small houses. Houses were moved all the time, so I can’t rule Belltown out, but I did disprove the most likely scenario.
I tried a number of searches in the historic Seattle Times but can’t find anything about the buildings displaced by Group Health.
Anyways, the Group Health displacement theory has legs. It would have been moved about 1972 or 1973. The foundations for the North Building were being poured in 1974.
If you slip around back you could try comparing the window pattern to the back of 310 15th, on the far right of of this photo, http://www.flickr.com/photos/tigerzombie/5058467517/