Another Junction development reactivates: Design Review set

| Development | West Seattle news

A year after the last time we had a reason to mention it (and two years after its “early design” review), 4532 42nd SW (just a stone’s throw north of the QFC/Office Depot megaproject) — shown at left — is active again, with a Design Review Board meeting date appearing today on the city website. The date is June 12; the time and place aren’t listed yet, it’s that new. The project is still described on its city page as “6-story structure containing 3,085 sq. ft. of commercial space at ground level and 35 residential units above. Parking for 54 vehicles.” We’ve now added it to our clickable Junction/Triangle major development (and major real-estate listings) map:

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By the way, if you care to bookmark it, we’ve given that map a permanent home on this WSB page-in-progress.

WSMom May 6, 2008 (7:57 pm)

Too bad this house is in such bad shape. It was a beauty in it’s day.

rjb May 6, 2008 (9:22 pm)

That house is so awesome. I wish so much someone had bought it and restored it. I also would have loved to see the inside.
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But, soon it’ll be a heap of boards and dust, turned into a nail salon / clothes boutique no one can afford / Edward Jones / dog groomer / supplement store / natural medecine office with some unaffordable tiny units above.

JP May 6, 2008 (10:08 pm)

I am so sad to see this house go away. My husband had a few sleep overs there in the 60’s. I really can’t believe that it will be bulldozed!!!!

Todd May 6, 2008 (10:11 pm)

Isn’t this the first hospital in West Seattle? “Proposed Land Action” uses have been attempted in the past for that structure. Guess it finally got the ok? It is a shame it is in bad shape and I agree with rjb. The first hospital in WS being demolished.. Is nothing sacred comes to mind.

rjb May 6, 2008 (11:02 pm)

This was the first hospital in WS? That makes me even sadder. I walk past it every now and then, wondering about its history, and had no idea it had that historical background.
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It’s sad that the youth who will only know it as trendy-shoe-purse-shop / manicure shop / UPS store/ overpriced-condo co-op will never know that something beautiful, grand, historic, and great was ever there.
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Man. Anything that meant anything in WS is being bulldozed. Seriously. These developers have no soul.
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Makes me think of the WS mural that depicts the old fire station. Ever read it and seen what a glorious structure it was? And the mural says it was razed for a parking lot.
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Overpriced condos = the parking lots of the last generation.

celeste17 May 6, 2008 (11:35 pm)

I have walked or driven by this house my entire life (43 years) and have always loved it (when I was a kid it was spooky) but when I got older I always wondered about this house. Its a shame that it being the first hospital that it couldn’t be on the historical list. Pretty soon we are going to have zero history left of West Seattle. Tonight Mom and I drove to Alki for a walk and along the way we say so many white signs for proposed land use it made me angry that we are loosing our history to a bunch of nameless buildings that are a dime a dozen. We are loosing so much of our history I want to go and stop the developers and tell them go some where else and leave WS alone. What happened to the small town feel we use to have? I can remember taking my nephews to Husky’s and Safeway when they were younger and have someone stop me both places and talk with me for a moment. My nephew asked if I can go any where in WS and not have someone know me. I told him its hard to say since I grew up here and attended the same church most of my life. I miss those days.

Will May 7, 2008 (7:25 am)

My family were the last people to live in it. I can describe the inside if you, rjb. :)

The front porch was nice and big and we had some great BBQs out there. It was sloped a bit from settling but still sturdy. In the front door was a small entry way with stairs going up to the second floor. Straight ahead was the huge kitchen, to the left was a room used for who-knows-what. We turned it into my son’s playroom. To the right was the living room with a fireplace. The fireplace was falling apart and bricks wedged the sliding door in place between the living room and the dining room in the back off the kitchen.

The second floor had four bedrooms and a bathroom. Basically the bedrooms were on the corners of the house so they all had two walls with windows. One of the back bedrooms had a sunroom but we never opened the doors to this because the windows leaked and it was full of mold.

The top floor had two more bedrooms and another bathroom.

Basement access was available from the kitchen. There were stairs leading down into the darkness, creepy! At the bottom of the stairs, you could go right, into the carriage room. To the left was a big open area that we used for storage.

The house had settled so much that the garage doors wouldn’t close anymore. So we had a pretty fun rat problem. Rats love that house. It’s nice and roomy and they can run up and down the walls all they like.

The last earthquake wasn’t terribly kind to the house either, I thought it might fall down. Visible cracks were everywhere and it certainly SOUNDED terrible while it was happening.

I also heard it was the first hospital in West Seattle. One day while out in the yard, a woman from the retirement home across the street stopped by to tell us that her sister was born in the house. Various other times people would stop to tell us that they heard the house was haunted, etc.

It was great fun living there and my son likes it when we drive by “the white house” to see if it’s still there. He was probably three or so when we moved out and he still remembers it.

I’m sad to see it go.

Sorry, comment time is over.