West Seattle scenes: ‘Rainbow House’ no longer a rainbow house

WSB contributor Keri DeTore checked out tipster Jen‘s report that the “Rainbow House” in the Admiral District is a “rainbow house” no more – and discovered it’s true:

From Keri (who also took the photos): Though the rainbow roof is still visible, the paint job that graced West Seattle’s “Rainbow House” for 40 years is no more.

According to Windermere Realtor Maria Quinteiro, who just facilitated the sale of the home, the wife of the original home painter kept the paint job in memory of her husband. The family’s estate has now chosen to sell the house and, says Quinteiro, rainbow colors just aren’t what the new owner wanted. The exterior is being painted blue, and in time the colorful pattern on the roof will also be replaced.

The realtor also insists that rumors of the house being haunted “aren’t true!” (P.S. A “before” photo can be seen on this page. And thanks again to Jen for the tip – here are multiple ways to reach WSB, 24/7.)

shed22 August 23, 2011 (6:40 pm)

Is the murder/suicide story true?

LE August 23, 2011 (6:58 pm)

So…according to legend, the house will appear back in rainbow colors tomorrow, right?!

Norm Smith August 23, 2011 (7:43 pm)

I grew up across the street from the Rainbow House. It was the home of a great Hispanic family who always had their huge stereo speakers out in the front yard in the summer playing Mexican music at high volumes. The dad was a house painter by profession and painted the house in the rainbow colors because he didn’t have the money to buy enough of one color to paint the whole house. So he used partial leftover paints from his various jobs and thus began the rainbow effect. It was amazing to watch his love of the paint as I watched him many nights working on his ladders. It always gives me a laugh when someone asks where I grew up. All I have to say is “do you know where the Rainbow house is?”

Paula T August 23, 2011 (7:43 pm)

I loved driving by this house as a teen. My dad used to sell paint by trade, and well knew of this home. As cool as the rainbow front was, my favorite was the psychedelic black and white back of the home with its swirls and twists. In those days, it was fantastic!

Mary T August 23, 2011 (7:53 pm)

Well, obviously there is now a need for another rainbow house in West Seattle, and our house is in need of a paint job. I would gladly embrace the legend of the rainbow house (though I would want the colors gradating horizontally rather than vertically) if you would all volunteer to help paint.

I think I am 98% serious.

PS our house is only one story so…quick work…

I. Ponder August 23, 2011 (10:08 pm)

Now it can be known as the boring house.

Here August 23, 2011 (10:15 pm)

Too bad about the haunting. I always enjoyed that story.

JoAnne August 24, 2011 (8:04 am)

Sad

rw August 24, 2011 (8:43 am)

Didn’t a sign on the house say “Have a rainbow day”? If I recall that was juxtaposed with several signs on their fence or in the yard that said “No Trespassing,” “Beware of Dog,” and “Absolutely No Solicitors.” I loved the juxtaposition.

Glendafrench August 24, 2011 (8:46 am)

Life is too short to be so boring – if life hands you a rainbow colored house, just embrace it.

SR August 24, 2011 (9:09 am)

We have lived directly behind the Rainbow House for over 35 years. I remember our first reaction to the psychedelic backside of the house across the alley from us. “Wow! That is so cool!” Having experienced the hippie era first hand, why wouldn’t we love it? It was great! Our real estate agent kept apologizing for it and said that we could plant bushes or trees to block the “view”. In the ensuing years, indeed their maple tree grew huge and holly trees and pine trees grew and the view was somewhat obscured, but we still loved both the back and the front. It’s been a landmark here in Admiral for a long time and it’s sad to see it’s defining exterior gone.

m August 24, 2011 (11:31 am)

Not sure about it being haunted but a registered sex offender lived there for many years with his mother.

Mark August 24, 2011 (2:18 pm)

it’s a loss for the neighborhood. The house added character, color (pun intended). Sad day that the new owners have decided to be doubly boring. If the new owner didn’t want to stand out, why didn’t they buy on the Eastside instead? :-(

4thGenWestSide August 24, 2011 (3:32 pm)

It will forever be a West Seattle original!

datamuse August 24, 2011 (3:55 pm)

Mark, you could always paint your house in rainbow colors to make up for it. :)
.
I love the roof tiles…they make me think of the multicolored ceramic tile roofs in Budapest.

Onshay August 24, 2011 (8:50 pm)

Haha, yeah. To all the people bashing the new owners by calling them “boring”: what is stopping you from living in a rainbow house? Although it made me smile, I wouldn’t want a rainbow paint job either…

In the Dark August 25, 2011 (8:31 am)

We should welcome the new neighbors, not attack them for painting the house a different color. Isn’t that the lesson we should have learned from having a rainbow house in the neighborhood for so long?

neighbor August 25, 2011 (12:03 pm)

As a neighbor of the “rainbow house” we have spent many sleepless nights this summer as teens come at all hours of the night sceaming and throwing things at the house. There was a rumor that the house was haunted and even a haunted dog rumor. Sometime multiple groups of teen would just park their cars on the parking strip and play loud music. The woman who lived in the house was suffering from all these late night taunting before she died earlier this year. It is really sad because I grew up driving by the rainbow house and loving its colors.

non judgemental August 25, 2011 (12:18 pm)

I agree with the last couple posts. I personally know the new owners and they are anything but “boring.” It makes me upset seeing people judge them just because they didn’t want a rainbow colored house. I would love to see everyone elses homes that are bashing them. They are really excited about moving to the neighborhood and I would hate for them to have a bad name because of personal preference. Get to know them and you will find they are extremely loving and generous people.

Living The Dream August 25, 2011 (12:40 pm)

We live by what was the Rainbow House and have mixed feelings about it going. On one hand, having the teens not show up at 1, 2, 3 in the morning and causing havoc and yelling will be nice. On the other hand, the legend will be missed. The woman that lived there put up with a lot of crap from teens. She was always a joy to talk to. There was no real haunting, the murder stories where all not true but were posted online long ago by a kid in high school that thought it would be funny. I guess that goes to show how ones joke can ruin somebodies life. All in all, I do miss talking to her and observing her kindness to the birds that she fed in her yard every day. Cheers to the Rainbow House lady, good ridden to the teens being gone, and welcome to the new neighbors.

R.M. GONZALEZ September 14, 2011 (10:48 pm)

THE RAINBOW HOUSE WAS PAINTED BY MY FATHER J.G.PLIEGO.

RAINBOW HOUSE IN WEST SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

2131- 46 TH AVE. S.W. SEATTLE,WASHINGTON.98116.

RAINBOW HOUSE WAS PAINTED BY J.G. PLIGO.

HE WAS BORN IN MEXICO.
GRADUATED WITH MASTERS IN ART FROM UNIVERSITY OF MEXICO.
HE STUDIED UNDER DIEGO RIVERA.

IMMIGRATED TOO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

HE WORK FOR WALTER DISNEY,BOEING, LOCKHEED.
HE WAS A MEMBER OF KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS.
HE HELP START THE CLUB LATINO.

J.G. PLIEGO DIED OF A HART ATTACK, IN SEATTLE,WA..

HE MARRIED ANITA CASTILLO.
SHE HAS A YOU TUBE VIDEO.

SHE HAD HER INITIALS OF HER NAME PLACED ON THE ROOF OF THE RAINBOW HOUSE.

NORTH SIDE THERE IS THE LETTER A.

SOUTH SIDE OF ROOF IS THE LETTER C.

THEY HAD SIX CHILDREN 4 DAUGHTER AND 2 SONS.

THEY BOUGHT THE RAINBOW HOUSE IN 1968.

THE CHILDREN WENT TOO SCHOOL AT HOLY ROSARY AND J.F. KENNEDY.

THE HOUSE WAS PAINTED IN A PAINT CALLED ONE SHOT PAINT.

J.G. PELIGO SIGNED HIS NAME ON THE FRONT OF THE HOUSE.

WHEN J.G.PLIEGO WAS ALIVE HE WAS SELLING HIS ART WORK FROM $3,000.00 TOO $10,000.00

( PEOPLE WOULD COME BY AND HIRE FOR ART WORK, GOLD LEAF WORK, A BOARD, HAND PAINTED SIGNS,PAINTING, AND PAINTING RACE CARS. ECT).

IN AUGUST OF 2011 THE NEW OWNERS OF THE RAINBOW HOUSE PAINTED OVER HIS SIGN ART WORK THEY SAID IT WAS A CONDITION OF SALE.

THAT WAS WAS WISE ?

IN THE 70’S THE GRAYLINE TOUR BUS CO. WOULD DRIVE IN THE TOUR BUS, & IT WAS PHOTO OP TIME.

THEIR WAS NEVER ANYONE NAMED ANDREW.

THE HOUSE WAS PAINTED IN THE 70’S THE RAINBOW HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH GAYS OR LESBIANS.

JUST COLOR ART, JUST THERE FOR YOU TO LIKE YOUR FAVORITE COLOR.

A KID/ BOY CAME BY THE HOUSE.
HE WAS SCARED AND HE MADE CRUD UP OR POOPED IN HIS PANTS .

HIS FRIENDS AND I LAUGHED AT HIM.

HE THEN WENT ON THE INTERNET AND WROTE THE ANDREW HOUSE STORY.

WELL WEST SEATTLE HAD IT OWN WORLD WIDE THING FOR OVER 40 YEARS FROM BALLARD TOO OSAKA THEY CAME : BUT THE NEW OWNER ERASED IT. YES NOW YOU HAVE THE BLAN HOUSE. HOW COOL.

HAVE A RAINBOW DAY.

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