Even with a million dollars, a historic house located in Beacon Hill cannot be saved from the claws of a bulldozer as reports claim the $1 million offer placed to save it, is below the expected price.
You would expect a million dollars to move mountains in Seattle, but no with this historic house.
The $1 million offered by a non-profit for the preservation of the oldest house in Beacon Hill has proved abortive.
The house goes by the name of Beacon Hill Garden House, and it was erected a few years before Washington enlisted as a state. Like most historic edifice been sold off in Seattle, it was only a matter of time for the Beacon Hill Garden House as its owners, a collection of garden clubs, decided to sell it off in June.
The real estate market is really on the high in Seattle that even historical gardens aren't left out. Two events have happened in the wake of the intended selling of the house, although both are shaking against the force of high costs presented before them, they are both admirable.
The first admirable act is the effort of a non-profit preservation group by the name Historic Seattle, to put a bid of $1 million to save the house, although this offer was rejected the owners as too low. Eugenia Woo, a representative of the historic Seattle, said "we made an offer. We are still trying to meet their evaluation of the house."
The other remarkable thing is that the owners of the house, the Washington State Federation of Garden Clubs faced a significant setback on its decision to sell the property. Initially, the house and adjacent grounds were given to the group in 1970 on a sell as is condition, with the promise that the historical site will be maintained forever. This pledge was recently revoked in court by the group. The officers of the group still keep that the market price of the house is $1.75 million and it is their intention to sell it to a group that would preserve the historical heritage of the 135-year-old house.
The problem faced by this is that only the ground and dirt is what close to $4 million according to real estate experts in the area. Susan Stocking, a realtor in the area, said " The pressure on property values in the area is on the high which makes it difficult to have historically preserved property in Seattle. The divide between $1 million historical value and the potential of getting up to $4 million when the property is torn down is enormous; there is no way to bridge that."
Except a more appealing offer is made to the owners, the $1 million offered by the non-profit will always be too small to save the house.
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