Tag Archives: volunteer. park

Townhomes on Millionaire’s Row? Appeal dropped over redevelopment value of 14th Ave E landmarked house

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“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. Continue reading →

Burwell House latest to be considered for landmarks protections on Capitol Hill’s Millionaire’s Row

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Built for a Seattle Hardware Company founder, the Burwell House comes with a lot of hardware

A neighborhood of landmarks is poised to add another.

The Burwell House of Capitol Hill’s Millionaire’s Row is slated to be considered for protection of its historic features in a hearing scheduled for March.

Champions of historic preservation in Seattle might be falling over themselves to see the 1904-built 14th Ave E house designated. “It is challenging to find Arts and Crafts architecture in Seattle comparable to the Burwell House,” the report on the property compiled for the nomination hearing writes. Continue reading →

CHS Pics | A Grand Menorah in Volunteer Park

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Volunteer Park’s Black Sun pedestal lit up in the chilly December night Monday at a community celebration of the second night of Chanukah. The annual event organized by Chabad of Capitol Hill included music, plus latkes and treats, along with the lighting of the “grand menorah.” Meanwhile, Capitol Hill’s Temple De Hirsch Sinai shares most of its services online including a stream Friday night of the 4th Shabbat. Continue reading →

CHS Hilloween classic: Stephen King, Volunteer Park, and Rose Red — the tale of the Winchester House of Capitol Hill (that never ever existed)

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It never existed at 14th and E Valley, that’s for sure (Image: CHS)

 
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The old homes of Capitol Hill have more than a few scary stories rattling around inside. Some appear legendarily spooky. So it is not surprising to sometimes hear tales of one of the spookiest of all American families having been part of the history found in the houses surrounding the Hill’s Volunteer Park. Some tell tales of the legendary Winchester family’s home on the edges of Volunteer Park.

Like most good ghost tales, the legend of the Winchester House of Capitol Hill is mostly a mixture of confusion, fear and a good story. Continue reading →

As Seattle questions block by block preservation, Capitol Hill’s Millionaire’s Row already has its place on the National Register of Historic Places

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The Eckstein Estate of Millionaire’s Row

By Elizabeth Turnbull

It was a quiet victory. Last year, Capitol Hill’s Millionaire’s Row neighborhood, which spans from 14th Ave E to Volunteer Park, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places — a designation that has brought a greater sense of importance to the street.

It was also part of an increasingly questioned movement to win protections and historic designations for certain areas and blocks of Seattle, raising questions about equity in a city struggling with rising costs and increased displacement. Continue reading →

Millionaire’s Row gets new crosswalks and a four-way stop to help connect Volunteer Park to the rest of Capitol Hill

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The view from the Shafer Baillie Mansion

One of the more needlessly dangerous crossings on Capitol Hill is being repaired this week, helping to connect Volunteer Park to its neighbors to the south.

Thanks to the folks at the Shafer Baillie Mansion bed and breakfast for sending over a note and the picture updating on the work Thursday to install new stop signs and crosswalks at the intersection of 14th and Aloha. Continue reading →

Pikes/Pines | Like rainwater off a duck’s back — Your Capitol Hill neighbor the Mallard might be common but still has some stories to tell: colorful attire, rough sex, and ladies with powerful voices

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A female Mallard speculum. (Image: Brendan McGarry)

“Just Mallards.”

That’s a phrase I’ve uttered far more than I probably know and certainly too often. Mallards, Anas platyrhynchos (literally “duck with a broad bill”), the most widespread and abundant duck in North America, don’t generally elicit excitement.

Even on the Hill, where there are few ponds, I doubt most of us would be surprised by a few Mallards paddling around Waterworks at Cal Anderson.

Of course, I wouldn’t bring them up if they weren’t worth considering. (Then again, what species isn’t?) Being one of the most common ducks in the world, they are immediately recognizable. So much so that we often overlook them while simultaneously celebrating them with the likes of Donald and Daffy Duck who are both undoubtedly of Mallard stock. How many people reading this went to the University of Oregon but can’t share much of note about Mallards?

One of my favorite things about Mallards are their links to human history.

As a wild species, Mallards have probably been food for humans as long as our species has shared their space. Their domestication dates to at least 4,000 years ago in Asia and the ease with which wild Mallards accept our presence and handouts it’s not hard to imagine how this relationship started. Ducks are not raised for eggs or meat in the US on the level that chickens are, but they are still raised widely and billions are eaten every year across the globe. Though I am less enamored with the way ducks are commercially raised enmasse, I do find their connections to human development and culture compelling. Practically all domestic ducks, aside from Muscovy Ducks, were bred from Mallards.

Domestic ducks that come from Mallard stock. Some even look almost like a “wild type” mallard. (Image: Brendan McGarry)

Like many domestic species, domestic ducks have been the focus of breeding efforts which have brought out favorable colors, different sizes, and morphological surprises that have happened while seeking out other desirable traits. Continue reading →