Perusing the new Seattle real estate listings as we do every day, we usually come across the same broker babble over and over. That's why a sentence like this one in a listing for a North Capitol Hill 3-BR is always bound to catch our eye:
This thoughtfully designed home originally built in 1905 by a shipbuilder as a wedding gift to his sister that has been passed on to generations of artists, architects & designers.
Sold! Not the place (yet) but the story. So we asked around and found out a bit more about this unassuming 3-BR, 2.75-bath that's asking $925K.
As the story goes, a shipbuilder did indeed built the original home here at a time when it would have been one of the first houses in this part of Capitol Hill. The railing that leads up to the second floor was actually made for a ship and has since been preserved. Over the years, subsequent owners have added or subtracted based on their own artistic whims. The mantle (which was salvaged from an old Capitol Hill mansion) and hearth were added along the way, as as was the bookcase. A remodel in the 1920's saw the addition of a front porch.
The most recent addition to the residence is the lower level, which now includes heated maple and slate floors and a sliding glass door framed in clear fir. The bathroom's dutch door allows fresh air flow when the weather calls for it. From there, you can step out back into an enclosed yard with evergreen hedges and Italian cypress trees.
Built by sustainability long before that was a buzzword, this house watched as Capitol Hill and Seattle grew up around it and clearly isn't done growing with it.
· 2340 Federal Ave E [Windermere]