Jacked up on 10th Ave E — many thanks to @the_tim for the photo
CHS has received a lot of questions about why this 1909 foursquare is rising above its lot in the 1100 block of 10th Ave E. While the project isn’t big enough to make our development map showing the nearly 30 big apartment buildings under construction around Capitol Hill, it is a sign of the changes underway in various neighborhoods as developers and landowners look to take advantage of the unprecedented demand for housing in the central city.
According to permits filed for the property, the house is being lifted and moved on its lot to make room for a two-unit townhouse and attached garage that will be added to the property. It’s a project involving Bradley Khouri’s b9 architects. Khouri is apparently becoming the go-to guy for similar development. We reported on this project involving Khouri to move a home and add row houses on 18th Ave E in 2013. Our report earlier this year on “an explosion” of row house development in the area is here.
(Image: King County)
The slate of new townhouse-style projects comes at a time when single family homes are mostly out of reach to the average Capitol Hill resident and the condo market around Capitol Hill is in desperate need of new blood, according to local real estate experts. Meanwhile, growth proponents hope for the Hill to build its way out of soaring rents.
The 10th Ave E house was purchased by a corporation registered to a Lynwood real estate investor last June for $826,000, according to King County records. One of the three-bedroom townhouses at the 18th Ave E project currently is listed at $655,000. All three units appear to still be available to prospective Miller Park residents. The 18th Ave E house was expected to be sold for around $700,000.
I live directly behind this house (you can see my house in the vintage photo). My wife and I returned from our honeymoon to find that all the beautiful trees on the property behind us had been uprooted and removed, and worse yet, were were going to have two gigantic townhouses looking directly into our house. This really is changing the character of this part of capitol hill, and it doesn’t seem like there much care about how quickly this is all happening, and whether it affects existing residents.
These developers are awful to deal with. They could care less about the neighborhood or the neighbors whose lives and property they are ruining by this kind of development.
Not sure if the added density will add value to the neighborhood or bring affordable homes to 10th Ave. E., especially due to the “owners” being an investment firm. I am all for density (I live in a duplex); however, the land should be a usable, friendly space. I hope the these new townhomes being built have more character than the ugly, cantilevered messes that sprung up all over the city.
BTW: Vijay, sorry hear that the trees were cut. Seems like every new owner on 10th Ave. E. goes on the tree-cutting rampage.
WHOA! I used to live in this house when I first moved to Seattle many, many years ago.
The crazy old lady that owned it rented out rooms – mine was the one on the second floor, far left – and the place was fully furnished and “decorated” with antiques that she and her husband collected on their honeymoon in the British Isles.
Sadly, he was killed in a car accident shortly after they were married, before they had an opportunity to move into the place.
She treated it as a shrine and would freak out if anyone moved anything – yet she did absolutely no upkeep or maintenance. One night, a shelf loaded down with glass nik-naks collapsed and took a whole bookshelf down with it. It stayed in a heap like that for months.
I paid $110/month. Utilities included.
Apart from that … this sort of development is flat out ruining Seattle in general and Capitol Hill specifically.
This town better wise up and right quick and get a handle on this sort of thing, or the entire city will have absolutely zero character (or reason to live here).
Thanks for this report, Justin….I have been wondering what was going on there. I’m sorry for the neighbors who are being negatively impacted, but at least the beautiful old home is being preserved….the developer might have chosen to demolish it.
A little further north on 10th, in the 1100 block, another new development has begun. Any information on that?
[…] The home sold last June for $826,000. So what are the new owners up to? Here’s some research by Capitol Hill Seattle: […]
I like the overall effect of lining up the facade of the lifted house with the complexes to either side of it. The streetscape gets to keep the decorative detail and some of the history, the old house gets out of its shade hole.
[…] The construction projects also come amidst increasing restrictions on so-called “small lot” development and a push to regulate new forms of density-friendly development like microhousing. The result is developers moving quickly to address the market opportunities, often in waves and, sometimes, with some creative reimagining. […]