(Image: King County)
“There was a house there this morning.” That’s how user radiogibbons introduces his Instagram video of the cleared lot at 10th and John where a single-family home has stood since 1905. Such is the pace of change around Capitol Hill — especially in the core near the coming Capitol Hill Station.
The project replacing the demolished house isn’t large enough to qualify for the city’s full design review process. “Establish use as three unit rowhouse and construct new boarding house structure, and occupy per plans,” the permit reads.
CHS has reported extensively on the microhousing trends playing out across the Hill. We’ve also reported on the continued rising rents around the Hill even as new projects join the market.
Developer Murray Kahn, by the way, has worked in the past with Hill developer Scott Shapiro who is also currently financing a microhousing and restaurant project of his own on 12th Ave.
Kahn’s project at 10th and John doesn’t appear to have a restaurant included in the plans — but it does have a Capitol Hill food and drink connection. Galerias restaurant owner Ramiro Rubio once owned the property but was forced to sell after his Broadway eatery was gutted in a November 2011 arson fire. Kahn has named the company behind the development Ramiro’s Place, LLC, by the way.
Rubio also once owned the cutie-pie little pink house to the east of the now cleared lot. It still stands in all of its 700-square-foot glory. But with the changes underway within walking distance of the coming light rail station, the little pink house could also soon find its days numbered.
Not the little pink house! You take that back! Oh god…
Sad to see this cute lil house go :(
With the squeeze taking place in the area and eventual demand for more land near the upcoming light rail station, I’m sure more of these lil homes will come down as the land becomes more valuable than the homes that reside on them.
I find myself searing images of my neighborhood into my memory today as I know in 20 years it will be unrecognizable and I don’t wish to forget what once stood.
And once again, did they do anything to salvage any of it. Nope, I saw it as they just tore into it and ripped it down. Windows in the frames, wood…nothing but a big scrap heap.
Yup, Seattle is a joke when it comes to “being progressive & green” They only green this city likes is Money.
I have to agree with the salvage remark. It’s not exactly hard. All the owner had to do was call Re Stor in Ballard and they would’ve handled the rest. It is indeed a joke…
Why exactly isn’t this a requirement by the city??
Next comes the houses around the corner, including the pink one. Seen it happen in New York City and in Honolulu. Shame.
Not only do they not salvage anything that could be salvaged I do not think they do anything about toxic chemicals that are in the house. These old homes would have lead paint and asbestos floor tiles. Just another thing to think about.
I’m pretty sure I saw them removing windows at the very least the morning of the demolition. I was actually quite surprised at how quickly they managed to demolish the house.
molotov cocktail, meet microhousing. Thats how they handled it in Nevada.
(though I don’t seriously agree or condone, the emotion is still there)
It is sad. Why not at least incorporate the facade into the new buildings. I am very skeptical that it is greener or anything to tear down really nice modest homes with some land for all building. I am sure ReStore or Second Use would have been willing to take most of the flooring and siding too. What a shame.
Doomed, really density density density! Don’t hold on to the past – demolition and build tiny cubes and boxes for the bridge and tunnel set. Very sad.
How is living centrally the bridge and tunnel set? You used the meaning of the term exactly backwards. Thanks for the laugh though. :D
Capitol Hill is a bridge and tunnel crowd for sure these days, at least on the weekends. Packing more people from everywhere BUT Seattle into the neighborhood that I once loved the vibe of, was the point I was trying to make, but I’m glad i could make you laugh.
Bridge and tunnel crowd refers to those who come in from the burbs, then leave. This article is about building dense housing for people that LIVE on the hill, not commute in and out of it.
And yet another home of character bites the dust. Sad, and maddening!
The wording on the permit is kind of confusing…a “three-unit row house” is one thing, but a “boarding house structure” is probably another apodment. Is there to be both of these things built on that small site?
I live one block away. Parking is very tight around here, and now it will get even worse.
I live a block away too… and the “character” of this house had fallen on hard times after years of tenants and owners not maintaining it. The picture in this story is very old and obviously from happier times… when it still had a proud owner. But, yea, had a feeling this would go to microhousing.
Don’t let developers destroy Capitol Hill because they will. In Vancouver BC people are trying to save classic turn of the century houses as Chinese investors keep buying them and destroy them for development.
The owner of the house owned the Galerias restaurant which went up in a fire that was being investigated. The owner went back to Mexio from what I heard. Hmmmmm
I know the owners of the pink house. they are not developers. after they owned the house, they really listened to the neighbors input on keeping the house the way it is instead of developing it.
[…] Despite a flood of new apartment units entering the market in 2013 and 2012, Capitol Hill continued to chew up some of its most loyal, lovable residents and spit them out this year. Rents continued to soar in the city and especially on Capitol Hill as housing control became a legitimate political issue. The challenging trends hit buildings new and old. Meanwhile, it didn’t get any easier to buy a home (unaffordable to most residents already living on the Hill… with the rare exception) or buy a condo (seller’s market). Single-family home properties in zones transitioned to multifamily housing soared in value as developers looked to cash in on the demand. The tidal convergence left some residents asking, “What happened?” There was a house there this morning. […]