Spooky Capitol Hill Victorian listed for $2.2 million

An ornate Queen Anne Victorian is listed for sale in Capitol Hill. At 119 years old, it stands out from its surroundings thanks to its age, style, and, unfortunately, its condition. Located at 15th Avenue and East Olive Way, it’s surrounded by other vintage architecture, but primarily apartment buildings.

Nobody’s been inside of it with any kind of regularity for years, and it’s fallen into disrepair. For $2.2 million, someone can get to work restoring it to its former glory—and have the coolest house on the block next Halloween.

The home was originally commissioned by successful boilermaking businessman Patrick J. Sullivan, who owned Queen City Boiler Works in Pioneer Square. Architects Josenhans and Allan designed the home. They also designed many other prominent buildings in the area, including multiple buildings on the University of Washington campus, many historic Pioneer Square buildings, and other grand Victorian homes around Capitol Hill and Queen Anne.

Finished in 1898, the Patrick J. Sullivan house is one of the older homes in Capitol Hill, a neighborhood with its fair share of historic homes. The Sullivans lived there until 1923. During the 1950s, the home was converted into kind of a boarding house.

Over the past three decades, the home has fallen into disrepair. Parts of the home are boarded up and parts the property is overgrown—the perfect makings of a mysterious haunted house, but not quite up to livability standards.

Courtesy of Seattle Dream Homes

City photos from 1975 show a house that has weathered to the point of possibly haunted, but still has some of its original majestic air.

Courtesy of the Seattle Municipal Archives, 181384 and 181385

Photos from the previous owner’s estate show the home in something closer to its glory days.

Courtesy of the estate of Elaine Thorson

While we hardly get a full tour, we do get a little peek inside—and Seattle Dream Homes has a photograph from an architectural magazine from 1905. In its original condition, the home featured many hallmarks of the era, including leaded glass windows, cased openings, winding staircases, and carved mantles inset with brick fireplaces.

Courtesy of the estate of Elaine Thorson

The home isn’t a landmark yet, and in Seattle’s hot construction market, it’s possible the home’s days are numbered. At least for now there’s a little context to this mysterious, run-down corner—and maybe someday it’ll get a chance to shine again.

• Historic 1898 Patrick J. Sullivan House for sale on Capitol Hill [Seattle Dream Homes]
• 1632 15th Ave [Windermere]