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West Seattle housing 574 results

Alki’s Friedlander Court apartments up for sale for $3.8 million
February 28, 2013 10:12 am
|      35 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

(King County Assessor’s Office photo)
A brand-new multi-million-dollar listing on Alki – the 87-year-old Friedlander Court courtyard apartments at 2246 Alki SW (map). The nine-unit complex on a 15,000-square-foot lot has just gone up for sale, listing price $3.8 million. County records say they were built in 1926 and have been under current ownership since 1996, with a purchase price reported as $850,000 that year. The new listing describes the property: “Classic brick 9-unit w/ big units and 5 garages provide immediate income to offset holding costs for future development. Zoning allows 20-unit apartment building or 10 townhomes with unobstructed views of Puget Sound and Olympics.” While the complex has never gone through historic review that we know of, it was held up as a notable example of “Bungalow Court” architecture five years ago when Charlestown Court was being reviewed; The now-dormant Vintage Seattle website took a closeup look at Friedlander Court a year later. (Thanks to Jonathan French for the tip.)

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West Seattle development: 2nd Morgan rowhouse; The Blake update
February 25, 2013 1:37 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

Two development notes today:

AND NOW THERE ARE TWO: That 61-year-old duplex at 7018 California SW in south Morgan Junction, across from the row of businesses anchored by Caffe Ladro, will be replaced by a five-unit “rowhouse” of 3-story townhomes. It’s next to 4250 SW Myrtle, where a similar, if not identical, development is on the way (as reported here last July). (added – aerial photo by Long Bach Nguyen showing both sites, the cleared one on Myrtle and the to-be-demolished duplex facing California)

Both are being developed by Renton-based Isola Homes, which also is building a five-unit “rowhouse” in The Junction (mentioned in that same July story). The 7018 California proposal is up for the city’s streamlined Administrative Design Review process, meaning it will be reviewed, but there’s no public meeting planned. From the city website, here’s a scanned version of the design packet submitted last week. County records show this site was sold to the developers less than a month ago for $400,000.

UPDATE ON THE BLAKE: When the owners of the 101-apartment development planned for 5020 California SW, just south of The Junction, announced its new identity as The Blake in December, they said work would begin in January. Since February is almost over with no sign of groundbreaking, we checked in with the company managing the project. They say the permits will be “pulled” this week, so the start is near. The site has had a land-use permit for more than a year but the construction permit is not yet finalized, according to online records.

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Saturday doubleheader at Log House Museum: Volunteer training; Neighbor Appreciation Day chili
February 5, 2013 1:44 pm
|    Comments Off on Saturday doubleheader at Log House Museum: Volunteer training; Neighbor Appreciation Day chili
 |   West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

The house that’s home to local history, the Log House Museum, has a doubleheader on Saturday: Its next volunteer-training event, and, whether you’re volunteering or not, free chili to celebrate Neighbor Appreciation Day. Here are the details on event #1:

Got time to volunteer? The Southwest Seattle Historical Society needs you!

Like to interact with people? Fix computers? Update databases? Make small repairs? Transcribe interviews? Shoot videos and still photos? Plan events? Get a glimpse of our community’s past? Whether you have lived here one year or 50, come learn about how to turn your desires and skills into meaningful tasks that will help preserve and promote the heritage of West Seattle and the greater Duwamish peninsula. Here’s a way to look to the future helping others explore West Seattle?s past. The Southwest Seattle Historical Society, which operates the Log House Museum, offers this introduction to volunteering, led by Carol Vincent, longtime historical-society volunteer, and Clay Eals, new executive director. It will include a brief primer on West Seattle history.

Bonus: At the end, those participating will enjoy free chili and corn bread on the museum’s porch, as part of the city’s Neighbor Appreciation Day. The museum is one block from Alki Beach, at 61st and Stevens. More info: 206-938-5293, loghousemuseum.info.

The aforementioned chili is available to all as part of the citywide Neighbor Appreciation Day – stop by the museum 1-4 pm on Saturday (southwest corner of 61st/Stevens). Before or after chili, go inside and explore the museum’s newest exhibit “Telling Our Westside Stories: The Land.” (No admission charge, but they always appreciate donations.)

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Countywide ‘One Night Count’: 5 percent more without shelter
January 25, 2013 9:14 am
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle housing | West Seattle news | White Center

Early this morning, the hundreds of volunteers who fanned out for the annual One Night Count of homeless people in King County found five percent more without shelter than a year earlier, according to a news release just sent:

2,736 men, women and children had no shelter in King County last night, a small increase over those found without shelter last year. Last year, volunteers found 2,594 people surviving outside without shelter.

Teams of volunteers with trained leaders are dispatched from ten locations throughout the county to count every person they see outside overnight on one night in January. Approximately 800 volunteers counted people trying to survive in cars, tents, all night buses, hospital emergency rooms, or curled up in blankets under bridges or in doorways.

The Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness, an independent coalition of organizations and individuals that works on homelessness issues in our region, organizes the count, now in its 33rd year.

A breakdown of how many people were found in what circumstances – cars, doorways, etc. – is in the second half of this document. While West Seattle is not broken out separately from the city at large, White Center has its own column, with 51 people found unsheltered this time. P.S. We checked with organizers, and the count does include those found in “tent cities” such as the West Seattle encampment that calls itself “Nickelsville.”

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West Seattle development: House replacements ramp up too
December 4, 2012 10:21 am
|      20 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

With the economy improving, a variety of construction is happening around West Seattle – not just the medium-to-big apartment or mixed-use projects we often report on. Last night, we mentioned a unique three-home remodel/rebuild project in Westwood with special financing related to energy improvements. Today, a more typical type of project that’s happening more often (judging by demolition permits on file) after a few quiet years: Old-house replacements. Steve e-mailed us to share the photo of demolition happening right now at 2134 44th SW in North Admiral. County records show the house is more than a century old, sold three months ago to Isola Homes, a Renton-based company that’s currently building small multifamily projects in West Seattle – the five-unit “rowhouses” on which we reported last summer – as well as new single-family homes. The Isola website includes renderings of the 2 1/2-story house with rooftop deck that’ll be built after the 1906 home is demolished.

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West Seattle development: Trio of teardowns? Not quite
December 3, 2012 9:37 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

New life is ahead for three old homes near Westwood Village.

Instead of being torn down to make way for townhouses or apartments – or big new homes – they will be transformed into three new/almost-new, modestly sized, energy-efficient homes, as part of a program financed by the Washington State Housing Finance Commission.

We visited the site a few days ago, as the owners/builders – Green Canopy Homes – and WSHFC reps met the neighbors to explain the project :

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Design Review Board’s first look Thursday at 3062 Avalon Way
November 28, 2012 11:09 pm
|    Comments Off on Design Review Board’s first look Thursday at 3062 Avalon Way
 |   Development | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

(From the design packet for 3062 Avalon Way)
The neighbors who came to a Southwest Design Review Board meeting in September to show concern about the 108-unit building planned for 3078 Avalon Way SW are planning a return trip tomorrow (Thursday) night to comment on its similar-sized prospective next-door neighbor. The project to be reviewed this time is at 3062 Avalon Way – first mentioned here 3 weeks ago – 107 apartments and 80 parking spaces on a site that now holds two older, small apartment buildings and a house:

The images are from the design “packet,” viewable online in advance of the meeting (6:30 pm Thursday, Senior Center of West Seattle at California/Oregon); the architect is Caron, same as the project reviewed in September. The concerned neighbors are along 32nd SW to the north, and according to e-mail discussions shared with WSB, their research has yielded a new point since their September show of force: When the West Seattle Junction urban-village plan was drawn up more than a decade ago, theirs was described as one of three pockets of single-family homes whose neighborhood character was to be protected. So that’s their rallying cry now.

You don’t have to live near a project to have a say at a Design Review meeting, so if you are interested in input – particularly on the size and shape, also known as “massing” – you should be there too; a public-comment period is part of every design-review meeting.

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Design Review doubleheader: 4755 Fauntleroy added to November 8th West Seattle agenda
October 17, 2012 6:33 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Development | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

If you are interested in Junction development, the Southwest Design Review Board meeting scheduled for November 8th will be one to not to miss: The two newest projects in the area are now on the agenda. We’ve already reported that it’s the date for the second meeting for 4724 California SW, the 88-apartment, 14-live-work-unit project planned for the former Petco space in The Junction. Today, the city also scheduled the second meeting for 4755 Fauntleroy Way SW for that same night; that’s the 370-apartment (plus grocery store and drug store as well as smaller shops) megaproject proposed to span Fauntleroy between Edmunds and Alaska, then across Alaska to 40th, and down 40th to just north of the Masonic Hall. The official schedule is 6:30 pm for 4724 California – for which this may be the final meeting – 8 pm for 4755 Fauntleroy – which is back for more Early Design Guidance, so will have at least one more meeting; both meetings are at the Senior Center of West Seattle (WSB sponsor), California/Oregon in The Junction.

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Newest design plan for 9051 20th SW building: ‘Packet’ preview
October 13, 2012 7:45 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | Development | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

The third Southwest Design Review Board meeting for 9051 20th SW isn’t until October 25th, as we first noted two weeks ago, but the “packet” is already available through the city Department of Planning and Development – you can see it here. According to the packet, the project is now proposed for 41 units, three of them live-work, and 3,300 square feet of commercial space. Along 20th SW, it is proposed for four floors, and along Barton on its south side it is proposed for three, as shown in this design from the packet:

This project, on a site where two boarded-up and vandalized houses now sit, had two “early design guidance” meetings because the design changed dramatically after the first one, into one building instead of two. Its next meeting, which could be the last if the board gives its blessing, is scheduled for 6:30 pm October 25th at the Senior Center of West Seattle (California and Oregon in The Junction).

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West Seattle architecture: Tour 3 modern homes this Saturday
October 2, 2012 3:13 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle history | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

Just got word of this: A modern-architecture group called Docomomo WEWA has a home tour in West Seattle this Saturday:

You’ll visit three mid-century modern homes that demonstrate the creative work of one architect, Arnold Gangnes (1918 – 2003), who was known for his innovative designs for modern dwellings and later for large scale non-residential and institutional projects. Included on the tour is Gangnes’s own house built in 1948.

The event is a self-guided driving/walking tour. Two of the residences are next door to each other. The third home is reachable by car, bike or a nice long walk.

The tour hours are 11 am-2 pm, and there’s a $10/person (cash or check) fee. Check in at 5054 SW Grayson (county archive photo above; here’s a map) to get a tour booklet and map; organizers also want you to know that (a) you’ll have to take off your shoes at each home and (b) only exterior photography will be allowed.

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Photo tour: West Seattle’s new Nova Apartments start leasing
September 16, 2012 10:30 am
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

With two months to go till completion, the Harbor/Urban all-apartments development Nova started leasing this weekend in The Triangle, and has launched its website too. We visited the 62-unit building this week, in advance of the milestone. See our photo tour ahead:

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Thinking about remodeling? Free advice from Ventana Construction tomorrow
August 24, 2012 12:59 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

If you have been thinking and/or dreaming of remodeling, you might as well take local experts up on their offer of free advice, no obligation. Award-winning Ventana Construction (longtime WSB sponsor) is hosting another free workshop at its West Seattle headquarters tomorrow (northeast corner of California and Findlay) and you’re invited – noon to 1 pm, with information about custom building too. Here’s the Facebook page for the event; just call 206-932-3009 ASAP to RSVP. (P.S. If your potential remodeling zone is the basement, check out what Ventana co-owner Anne Higuera shared with houzz.com.)

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West Seattle development: Another Avalon Way proposal
August 13, 2012 6:16 pm
|      36 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

Just added to the Southwest Design Review Board schedule: Another apartment-building proposal for Avalon Way. This one is planned for 3078 Avalon Way (map), on a site that currently holds half-century-old multiplex units.

(King County Assessor’s Office photo)
The proposal is for a 7-story building with 65 residential units and 77 underground parking spaces. The developer is the same as the 30-unit apartment building planned at 3829 California SW, which means this is likely the project foreshadowed in this WSB comment. Its Early Design Guidance meeting is tentatively set for one month from tonight, 6:30 pm September 13th, at the Senior Center of West Seattle (California/Oregon in The Junction).

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West Seattle development: Avalon project demolition begins
August 9, 2012 1:46 pm
|      19 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

Three and a half weeks ago, the construction fence at 3261 Avalon went up – and today, the vacant houses on the site are coming down. (Thanks to E for the tip.) This is an all-residential project, half a block northeast of 35th – planned for six stories and 120 apartments. The land-use permit was granted in January.

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West Seattle real-estate specialist Dan DeSantis: New WSB sponsor
August 8, 2012 6:17 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

We’re welcoming a new WSB sponsor, Dan DeSantis, who is the agent for 4325 1/2 Thistle, a home in south West Seattle which he calls an in-city retreat. The home features unbroken mountain and Puget Sound views, as it is perched above the tree line, so you are looking over treetops instead of roofs. The home features a newly remodeled kitchen with stainless-steel appliances, two separate view living areas, wood fireplaces on both levels, and a bed/bath on each level.There’s a wrap-around deck and garden patio that includes a hot tub. It’s located near the Morgan Junction business district as well as Westwood Village. Lincoln Park and Lowman Beach are nearby as well; nearby schools include Gatewood Elementary as well as the Denny-Sealth campus. See photos of this home at thistletreehouse.info.

Dan DeSantis has been a multi-million-dollar producer in West Seattle for more than 30 years as a Residential and Investment Real Estate specialist. He says, “Knowledge and negotiating skills are the basis for client satisfaction and success; I get the best for my clients. I most often hear from my clients that I gave them great service. I listened to and met their needs, while being a great negotiator. 90 percent of my business is from referrals and repeat customers.” He also is involved in the community as a board member for the West Seattle YMCA. You can reach him at 206-947-4773 or by e-mail at dandesantis.re@comcast.net.

We thank Dan DeSantis for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.

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Followup: Alki’s Shoremont Apartments saved and up for rent – with a twist
June 1, 2012 3:45 pm
|      65 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle history | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

shoremonthistoricphoto.jpg

Back in 2008, we got that vintage photo from Tom J, when the fate of the 1923-built Shoremont Apartments at 2464 Alki SW – the buildings seen behind Tom’s uncle and dad – was still in flux.

A year earlier, in 2007, the stately brick buildings were proposed for teardown, to be replaced by townhomes.

But then, the site was bought by architects known for their modern design projects, who proposed one instead of townhomes:

pbproject.jpg

(2008 rendering)
The plan never came to pass, and eventually, the site became bank-owned. Exactly two years ago today, we reported a for-sale sign going up at the site.

Then came Dennis Schilling:

We photographed him at the Shoremont yesterday afternoon. But we first talked with him more than a year ago, after he bought the by-then-very-rundown buildings because he “liked” them; he told WSB at the time he planned to fix them up.

And he has made good on that promise. Most of the work is done, and two of the eight Shoremont Apartments are rented, more applications are in the works. Schilling gave us a tour:

Great beach view, from one of the lower units – note the original clear-grain fir floor. Upstairs, while he would have liked to have kept the flooring, noise rules meant they had to be carpeted:

The stairs are original:

And there are walk-in closets – including this one upstairs with a view!

The floor plans are close to the original layouts, says Schilling, adding that the work they had to do included some foundation improvements, especially for seismic reasons (including “shear walls”), plus all-new wiring. Out front, they had to build up the area in front of the main entrance door:

There had been something in front of that blank concrete wall for a bit, and therein lies a twist to this story – which Schilling e-mailed us (and King County Executive Dow Constantine) about on Wednesday:

During the construction process we have noticed that bus patrons did not have a place to sit while waiting for the bus at the stop in front of our property. We decided to make a gesture to the city and commission a custom bus bench at our expense.

While this bench was being constructed there must have been fifty people who expressed appreciation for the bench. Today a representative of the city approached us and told us to remove it or face daily fines. Apparently while the bench is not on any part of the sidewalk it does encroach on the City’s property.

The inspector did admit that there had been no complaints but that he was just driving by and doing his job. In order not to incur any fines we removed it while he waited. We just wanted to let people know that we were trying to do something nice for the city but have run afoul of bureaucracy.

The bench is now sitting on the west side of the Shoremont site:

We haven’t figured out yet which agency to ask about the bench beef, but plan to follow up. Meantime, if you’re interested in renting one of the Shoremont Apartments, you’ll have to go take a look at the postings on the windows at the site, which have more information.

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West Seattle development: Oregon 42 construction to begin
May 16, 2012 12:31 pm
|      55 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

(Tuesday evening photo by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
One year after a new plan was circulated for Oregon 42 – the mixed-use building at 42nd SW/SW Oregon in The Junction that’s been in the works for four and a half years – construction is about to begin. We confirmed that this morning with Mike Mahoney from ConAm, the San Diego company that is developing the 131-unit building; we called for an update after getting word that the construction fence had gone up around the site (photo above).

It’s a four-lot site; three houses will be demolished, probably starting next week, according to Mahoney. The fourth lot formerly held the house that was moved to another site in an operation that created something of a spectacle in summer 2010. (The site also made news here in March when one of the remaining houses was used for SWAT-team training.) Here’s one of the Oregon 42 renderings circulated last year, when the number of apartments was increased and the amount of retail decreased (now 3,000 square feet):

(That’s Hope Lutheran at the lower left, Capco Plaza – QFC & Altamira – at upper right.) Mahoney says the plan hasn’t changed since the revised version was made public last year. But now they’re ready to proceed. Once demolition begins, he says, “that’s really going to kick off the full construction – we will move right into excavation and shoring work.” He expects the construction crane to go up in about two months, and the project to be complete after about 16 months of work – which would mean fall of next year. SD Deacon is the general contractor; Junction-based Nicholson Kovalchick Architects joined the project before last year’s round of publicized changes, but was not involved when the project was first proposed back in 2008. This project, by the way, is among those in West Seattle granted the city’s Multi-Family Tax Exemption (see the agreement, finalized by the City Council last year, here), for agreeing that 20 percent of the units will have what the city deems “affordable rents” accessible to people slightly below the median income.

Two other major apartment projects are under construction in West Seattle right now – Youngstown Flats in North Delridge, and Harbor/Urban’s 62-unit Nova in The Triangle – and others are on the drawing board, including two within just a few blocks, the Equity Residential project at California/Alaska, and 4724 California, which has its first Design Review Board meeting one week from tomorrow.

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Buyers Only Agent Amy Carey: Welcoming a new WSB sponsor
May 11, 2012 6:03 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

We welcome Amy Carey, a new WSB sponsor, who has this message for you:

“When buying a home, it’s critical to have ethically sound, highly informed representation and someone who puts your interests above all else.
As a Buyers Only Agent, I never list properties and I never represent a seller.  This is real estate with a twist – something new and different, and so unique that there are only a handful of us nationwide.

And, I’m the only Buyers Only Agent working in West Seattle. A rare bird indeed. So, what’s the advantage of working with a Buyers Only Agent? First, it eliminates the conflict of interest present when a buyer uses an agent working for a brokerage that also lists properties. For example, if a real estate office holds a listing and one of their agents brings a buyer to the sale, the office itself is legally bound to continue to represent the seller’s interests as well.

Homebuyers come to me because they know I represent only them and that I work tenaciously to make sure their needs are met. I show them all the appropriate houses on the market and research properties to provide facts, good and bad, about a home. And, when the time comes to put in an offer, I negotiate the best price and terms possible – making sure their interests are front and center.

It may sound corny but doing the right thing is at the heart of how I lead my professional and personal life.  I’m downright fierce in my passion for helping people – both in buying homes and in the community and environmental work I do that is very dear to me.I’m also a bit unconventional when compared to what folks might conjure up when they think “real estate agent.” My shoes are not shiny, and you will never see me in a pantsuit. I wear jeans and boots because you can’t look under a crawlspace with dry clean only clothes. And, you’ll never catch me in a typical “real estate” office with plaque filled walls and marketing materials.  Most of my meetings are with clients at their own kitchen table or favorite coffee house.

Most importantly, I love West Seattle with full abandon. I swoon over the red velvet cupcakes at Cupcake Royale and adore perusing the junction and strolling Alki. I thrill over the Farmers’ Market, the prominence of backyard chickens and the uniqueness of the neighborhoods that make West Seattle such an amazing place.

There are few things as important as “home”. It’s where we raise our children, celebrate friends, ponder new ideas and bring gardens into bloom. It is where our lives unfold. For me, to be a part of that, to help people find their “home” is a pretty remarkable experience and I consider myself lucky to be working to give folks the opportunity to lay down roots in this fabulous community.”

We thank Buyers Only Agent Amy Carey for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.

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LD Arch Design: New WSB sponsor (and Green Home Tour site!)
April 19, 2012 9:58 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

Welcome to another new sponsor, LD Arch Design, a green architecture firm focusing on residential additions and remodels. Their message for you: The mission of the firm is “thrifty and thoughtful design for a small planet,” and architect Parie Hines works to sensitively transform existing homes – maximizing reuse and keeping any added spaces compact and efficient.

Parie is sitting on the porch of her family’s home, which doubled its space with an addition built in 2009 on a very tight budget. Featured as part of the Seattle Green Home Tour on April 21st and 22nd (this Saturday-Sunday), it’s an example of Parie’s “less is more GREEN” design philosophy, showcasing affordable green strategies for people who are interested in making their existing home greener.

The “less is more GREEN” design concept is simple – it uses less space, less new stuff, less toxic stuff, less energy, and less water – which often leads to less money spent on your home. You can read more about it at the “less is more GREEN” blog, and specifically about the green strategies of the LemonDrop Addition at the NW Ecobuilding Guild site page. And, of course, you are invited to stop by to see it in person on April 21st and 22nd.

LD Arch Design also reserves time for pro bono or reduced-fee design for community projects, using Parie’s background in public architecture, affordable housing, and community development. LD Arch Design is one of the resources available at the WS Tool Library DIY Ask an Expert event every 2nd Thursday at 6 pm at Youngstown. Parie also serves as co-chair of the North Delridge Neighborhood Council and chairs its Community Design and Land Use committee.

Reach LD Arch Design online at ldarchdesign.com, by phone at 206-229-8923, and via its Facebook page.

We thank LD Arch Design for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.

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Seattle Green Home Tour this weekend – with five area stops
April 18, 2012 5:50 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

Just a few days till this weekend’s free, self-guided Seattle Green Home Tour (with WSB among the co-sponsors), which – as the clickable map above shows you – has four West Seattle stops this year, plus one not too far away (and 25 stops in all, around the metro area). Read on for more details on the West Seattle sites:Read More

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West Seattle’s landmark Hainsworth House up for sale
March 28, 2012 11:01 am
|      17 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle history | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

(Historic photo from King County Assessor’s website)
Five years after it last changed hands, West Seattle’s Hainsworth House – a city landmark, at 2657 37th SW, is on the market again (thanks to Fiona for spotting the listing). The 103-year-old, 4-bedroom, 4-bath mansion is listed for $2.25 million. Its significance as an example of “Tudor Revival” architecture is described in the fourth-from-last paragraph on this HistoryLink.org page.

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Followup: Closer look at old ‘orchard house’ on Puget Ridge
March 25, 2012 9:24 pm
|      14 COMMENTS
 |   Puget Ridge | West Seattle history | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news


(Click image for larger view)
Tonight, another look at an old Puget Ridge farmhouse that apparently sparked a fair amount of curiosity and imagination last weekend, after we published a photo Mike Gerber took during the St. Patrick’s Day snow showers. He sent three more photos this weekend and explained:

A surprising number of people asked for some additional information on the old house in the photo you ran last Saturday. Here’s a better angle of it. As for it being the oldest orchard house in Seattle, there’s very little in the historical record about this particular section of West Seattle and so it’s difficult to date it.

The area was covered in enormous old growth forest prior to the 1870’s, and the very valuable and spectacular trees were cut and turned into a hodgepodge of small farms and orchards and over the next 20 years. The construction is consistent with that era and it would seem logical that the trees growing closest to Elliott Bay would be the first to go.

I also met a wonderful and very credible old guy a number of years ago who had lived next to the orchard at one time. He said the house had been built in the 1880s, but that it had been vacant since the Depression.

During the construction of our home we came across four piles of very old lumber that turned out to be the collapsed remnants of small shacks, probably where orchard workers once lived. Under one of them we found two perfectly persevered ‘skat’ playing cards that were made in Germany in the early 1900s, where many of the workers came from.

Skat is considered the national game there and is played everywhere.

It would be interesting to know if any other readers have anything to add to the history of this relatively little-known area.

The location is described in the comment section following last weekend’s story.

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West Seattle development: 1 house down, 2 to go up
March 21, 2012 2:14 pm
|      41 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

(WSB photo by Patrick Sand)
Thanks to Jana for the tip that this century-old waterfront house is being torn down today in the 4800 block of Beach Drive. We had noticed a for-sale sign some time back – then a sign suggesting the home, distinctive for its brick/stone exterior, could be bought and moved. Then, we noticed the bricks/stones being removed the other day. Now, the whole house is coming down. According to the DPD website, the site has been split into two parcels. Here’s the county’s photo of what the house used to look like:

The site has an online listing, too.

ADDED 2:30 PM: Jana just sent that photo – while we were there earlier (top photo) the crew was breaking for lunch, but they’re back in action and bringing down the rest of the house. Note that some of the masonry/stone was left on the south side, visible from this angle.

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