12:24 AM: Five houses were originally on the site that will be redeveloped into a ~40-condominium project by Vibrant Cities (formerly SolTerra, which originally planned an apartment project). One was moved off the site last January; another is being moved right now; the remaining three will be demolished. We’re here to cover the move, with the renowned house rescuers of Nickel Bros set to pull this house off 1254 Alki and truck it almost half a mile southeast to a barge at Don Armeni Boat Ramp, as was done with the 1262 Alki house nine months ago. Its new owner says it’s headed for Anderson Island.
The crews prepped the site days earlier but just rolled out of Don Armeni after midnight to start setting up for the move.
12:57 AM: The house’s new owner says it’s one of two that he’s buying and moving via Nickel Bros. The other one, taken from a site in Poulsbo, is already on the barge, which he says is scheduled to dock on the island Tuesday. Also here, Vibrant Cities’ co-owners James Wong – who has West Seattle roots – and Ming Fung. They tell us the condo project will likely start construction early next year and will be called Infinity.
1:59 AM: The move is expected to start shortly. Alki Ave will be blocked for a while east of here.
2:30 AM: The house is off the lot and headed down the street, with the help of not only the Nickel Bros crews but also pilot vehicles. We’re headed back to HQ and will add video and a few more photos from there.
3:59 AM: Here are two angles of video as the house left the site:
Local videographer Mark Jaroslaw, who has been recording the operation, reports that it hit a temporary snag: “The house slowly rounded the corner onto Harbor Ave, but was forced to halt in the 1200 block because someone failed to anticipate a low-hanging utility line. The crew tried lowering the load to no avail. So, they improvised. They laid a path of plywood sheets across the park grass, allowing the truck to detour off the street into the Armeni lot. The house was secured at 3:30.” We’ll be checking its status in daylight.
12:24 PM: Thanks to Mark for sharing his video including the house being loaded onto the barge, followed by the sailaway:
Anderson Island, the house’s destination, is Puget Sound’s southernmost island.
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