The Seattle City Council is poised to put a final stamp of approval on making a corner of Capitol Hill’s Millionaire’s Row an official city protected landmark.

The council’s Land Use and Neighborhoods Committee on Wednesday will take up legislation to place protective controls on the Thomas and Sarah Esther Bordeaux House at the corner of 14th Ave E and E Valley.

The restrictions on the historic property in the landmarks agreement “apply to the site, the building exterior, and a small portion of the interior, but do not apply to any in– kind maintenance or repairs of the designated features,” the council’s summary of the bill notes.

CHS reported here late last year on the start of the nomination process for the near-120-year-old Capitol Hill mansion built for the family of a Pacific Northwest timber baron. It comes as neighbors in the area around 14th Ave south of Volunteer Park along the neighborhood’s Millionaire’s Row are working to shore up historical protections for the area’s aging homes in the face of ongoing demand for new housing.

Across the street, the James A. Moore House has also been designated for landmark protections as property owners were working to further cement the street’s place in Seattle history with efforts to gain federal recognition and a spot for Millionaire’s Row on the National Register of Historic Places.

Redevelopment has still managed to make an impact, even on Millionaire’s Row. Earlier in 2020, CHS reported on the nearby demolition of a 1900s-built single family-style house to make way for a planned modern, three-story replacement. A block east and a few blocks south, zoning has invited increasing density on 15th Ave E including a five-story mixed-use development that is hoped to begin construction in coming months to replace the old Hilltop Service Station.

After approval by the council committee, the landmarks legislation will move to the full council for a final vote to put the protections in place. After that, any changes will require a return to the agreement with the landmarks board. That likely means the Bordeaux House lives on along with the rest of Millionaire’s Row. But, as we’ve seen from time to time, in a changing city like Seattle, sometimes change still finds you.

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