Sketched Oct. 16, 2012
The door of the gutted house was cracked open, but I didn’t see Edith Macefield’s ghost roaming around.
You may remember her story. When Macefield died at age 86 in 2008, a five-story retail and commercial center was being built around her little Ballard house. Despite a $1 million offer from developers, she refused to sell, reminding us with her defiance that some things in life are, well, priceless.
In her will, Macefield left the house to one of the workers she befriended during the construction of the center, the Ballard Blocks. He later sold it for $310,000 to Greg Pinneo, a real estate investor who announced plans to elevate it 30-feet off the ground and create a space below known as “Credo Square.”
Pinneo’s business partner Lois MacKenzie said the upgrade is about to begin, though the house won’t be elevated. The revised plan is to transform what remains of the tiny cottage into a cozy nightly rental with room for six people, and it may be called “Edith’s House at Credo Square.”
Sketched Oct. 9, 2012
What has drawn your attention around Seattle lately? Send me your suggestions of interesting places and people to sketch via e-mail, Facebook or Twitter. Have a great weekend!
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