This Tiny $170K Tukwila House Was Built to Be a Speakeasy

Welcome to Tiny Homes, an idea that is more popular with minimalists than with neighborhood associations and zoning boards. We'll point out the fun parts. You'll have to check out the logistics and legalities - but this one got its start by flouting the law.

Seattle has a sordid past, which is why there are so many good stories around. The evidence has a tendency to disappear, like the Lester Apartments that were Seattle's biggest brothel and were run by the mayor. There's a tiny house in Tukwila, that somehow survives. Even the listing describes the location as 'tricky to find', which was probably the idea when it operated as a speakeasy. The 1 bedroom, 1 bath house is up for sale at $170,000. It was built in 1928, just a few years before Prohibition ended; so, as a business it probably get to run for long. Whatever business it did it had to stuff into 500 square feet inside or 5,967 square feet outside. The stories remain. Some of the evidence must be plastered over by now. There was a remodel in 1988 that did radical things like give it a foundation and upgrade the plumbing and electrical. Now, if you didn't know the story, you might think it is just a nice cottage with some odd angles in the walls and ceiling. Tiny houses are known for storage challenges. This one has an attic over a carport. It may not be the most convenient arrangement, but it is useful. Besides, most attics and crawlspaces are icky places to visit. That may be true here, too; but at least there's the possibility of finding something unexpected and historic.

· Seattle's Biggest Brothel [CS]
· 12028 Martin Luther King Jr Way S, Tukwila [Zillow]
· All Tiny Homes coverage [CS]
Written by Tom Trimbath