“The Caroline Horton House over time. (a) architect’s rendering of the house (Seattle Times, November 25, 1906); (b) 1937 archive photo (Washington State Archive); (c) recent photo (nomination report photo)”
Advocates for preservation of the city’s historic homes and properties have dropped their appeal over a Seattle Hearing Examiner decision this year that could allow a property owner to demolish a landmarked house on Capitol Hill’s Millionaire’s Row to develop a set of eleven townhomes on the 14th Ave E parcel just south of Volunteer Park.
Historic Seattle filed for the “voluntary dismissal” in the case last week.
The organization originally filed the appeal in January after the city’s Landmarks Preservation Board approved a “controls and incentives agreement” for the landmarked Caroline Horton House that imposed no restrictions on the 120-year-old house after the house’s owners were able to show just how valuable the property could be if developed.
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According to the appraisal the house’s owners submitted, the property would be worth $3.1 million without preservation controls that would bar redevelopment. Under controls, the appraisal valued the property at only $1.9 million. Seattle’s landmarks statutes allow a property’s economic value to be part of the determination of preservation agreements. In their decision, city officials also cited 15th Ave’s Sullivan House, another Capitol Hill landmarks case in which a property was ruled worthy of protections but the landowner’s appeal was granted over economic factors.
Following the board’s decision to impose no controls on the Caroline Horton House in January, Historic Seattle appealed the decision saying the board had erred in recognizing the 40% delta in value, arguing the statutes should protect an investor’s “reasonable” value — not “maximum.”
But the organization dropped its appeal last week before the next major hearing in the case that had been scheduled for April. CHS has an inquiry out to Historic Seattle about the decision. UPDATE: A representative for Historic Seattle said the organization will have more to say about the decision to drop the appeal later this month.
In the meantime, any eleven townhome development lined up for the 14th Ave E property remains theoretical. A check of city permits and county sales records shows no recent transactions or filings. The old house — also known in the neighborhood as the Mary and Martha Hall for its time serving as “a boarding house for young girls, run by St. Marks Church.” — is now considered a sixplex.
Millionaire’s Row is seeing some change this winter, however. CHS reported here as the street’s Shafer Baillie Mansion has been sold.
CHS reported here in 2022 as the Caroline E. Horton House began its trip through the Seattle Landmarks process. The grand American Foursquare on 14th Ave E near E Roy, thanks to the long ago clearcutting of Capitol Hill, once had a grand view of the young city. But its place on the city’s landmarks roster was earned less by its architecture and more by the life of Caroline Horton, the daughter of pioneer Dexter Horton who rose to business prominence to the city:
After Dexter Horton’s death in 1904, Caroline Horton became an heiress and ran her father’s large real estate concerns. She built the Caroline Horton House, and moved there with Arabella Horton, Dexter Horton’s third wife, and Eliza Hammond, the niece of Dexter Horton’s first wife. Since Caroline was the daughter of Dexter Horton’s second wife, all three of his marriages were represented in her house.
“The Caroline Horton House is associated with the Dexter Horton family more than any other house still standing,” the nomination packet for the house read at the time.
This house is built far sturdier than the 11 hardi-board townhouses would be.
There is nothing Seattleites care more about than keeping anyone poorer for them out of their neighborhood.
“Seattleites” are actually very progressive. You are talking about old money and transpalnts…All of whom have never been “Seattle” They just like to live here. No income taxes and the housing is all bought up by them…they are simply profiteers. No Seattle
Do you ever make any sense?
Truths, all of the area around volunteer park should be apartments
CM Hollingsworth fucked up the zoning committee last year and it’s clear she cares more about wealthy homeowners than any of the communities she claimed to represent when running for election
Anything Bruce was for? She is for. She’s your garden variety business owner trying to cut herself a deal.
Disagree. Erect apartments around volunteer park and watch the park and neighborhood turn to crap. I love walking around there and admiring all the beautiful old houses. Keep it traditional I say.
It’s a sixplex according to the article. Do you really think ‘poorer’ people will be lining up to buy the townhomes versus those currently living in a sixplex? Enough please with the Progressive Purity Police outrage about everything.
A basic tenet of economics is supply and demand. Any addition to housing stock, regardless of the price, helps to keep housing lower than it would have been, in the long run.
Real world Ferengi.
Townhomes are plummeting in value. If they built them to last, it would be a different conversation. But too many are already falling apart and depreciating in value. It seems foolish to tear down a well-made and well-designed structure for something that will be in a landfill in 50 years. (The 15th Ave Safeway and Broadway QFC complex come to mind. What are they, 25 years old?) Housing has become a total grift. Cheap construction is wasteful and terrible for the planet.
You said it very well.
I remember the Safeway being built when I moved to 15th in ’97, so yeah: it’s less than 30 years old.
The 15th Ave QFC, meanwhile, is much older. I wanna say it was built in the ’40s?
But agreed that if buildings aren’t meant to hold up more than 30 years, we’re in the realm of cardboard and plywood temporary construction. I’m convinced 2020s townhomes will be low-rent leaky molding student housing of the 2040s
Clarification: I was referencing the Broadway QFC at Pike, which I remember being built sometime in the ’90, and is now up for sale (or already sold?) for demo and redevelopment.
it was sold, but there’s no indication that the new owner is planning to demo and redevelop.
Isn’t it apartments now? Unless I am completely off, in 2002 I almost moved into an apartment at the first floor of that building. Sad to see it gone.
That entire neighborhood should be preserved.
Says the rich land owner eh? Fuck that, demolished the whole neighborhood and build affordable housing
What is your anger all about? It costs vast amounts more to tear down a “whole neighborhood” and build crappy housing, plus the carbon effects of doing so would be severe. The Hill actually has a lot of affordable housing already.
Honestly I’m sad to see these old homes get torn down if the owners decide to sell. Yes I know we need more housing but these homes were built extremely well and with old growth wood and excellent craftsmanship. You have to tour at least two or three of these old homes to truly appreciate how they were built.
times change and not always for the better.