If these walls could talk
- Description
- January 20 - Storytelling
A Thousand Yeas by Becca Bonneville
Treasured Places by TLP
Journaling: If these walls could talk, what would they say? Built in 1910, she boasts views of both Downtown Seattle and Lake Washington and is situated next to a covered reservoir that was converted to a premier park in 2013. Our house is over a century old, making it one of the oldest houses in Seattle, and especially in our neighborhood. When we bought the house it came with a “vintage” photo from the 1940s - already 30 years into her tenure. Wouldn’t it be interesting to know the story behind her construction? She’s clearly changed over the years. The previous owners did a complete remodel in 2006 where they updated everything and added another bedroom, a bathroom, a mud room and back porch. There is also a fun little play nook which is perfect for kids. They really maximized the space and made it kid-friendly to accommodate their twins. The new bathroom built off the main floor bedroom makes a perfect nanny quarters (which I would later learn was exactly how it was used). I often speculate about her history. How many families have lived here? How has the neighborhood changed over the years? Have the walls always rejoiced with laughter?
Ironically, I actually met someone who used to live in this house. What are the chances in a metropolitan area of over 1 million that I would work directly with someone who was close friends with the previous owner and had lived in our house for 6 months! She was able to describe what the house looked like before its renovation and give us some history. I know from looking at purchase and sale records, she was sold in 1986 and 1999 before being sold to us in 2012.
We haven’t done many updates to the house (other than maintenance), but are finally preparing to remodel and finish the 1,000 sq ft basement by adding another family room, a modernized laundry room, a wine cellar and a better game room (which will also serve as a guest room).
Clearly she has many more stories to tell!
Thanks for looking (and reading)!
