In 2006, Edith Macefield turned down a million dollar offer to sell her house to developers who wanted to build a mall in this developing Ballard neighborhood. She had already been living there for 50 years.
Her house was then surrounded by 3 walls and stood between a Trader Joes and a LA Fitness Gym.
When I learned this story from Seattle Sketcher exhibit, I immediately thought of the aging widower in the Pixar movie UP who did not want to leave his house. I called it the UP house.
Mrs Macefield died in 2008 at the age of 86 but her house has not been incorporated into the Mall. With respect to its history, the house had not been demolished. One floor was supposed to be added and a public space below called Credo Square would be designed for community events. But it seems that new changes are on their way…
UPDATE 2/08/2015: The house is now on sale and the foreclosure auction will be held in March 2015. It may be the end of the story, the house could be completely demolished. Sad…