Several citizen advocates have contacted Historic Seattle over the past year about a house on West Marginal Way, located about a mile south of the West Seattle Bridge. We looked into the issue, and learned we weren't the first to do so - for decades, preservationists have considered how the building might be saved. We also learned that the house was built in 1887, before Washington became a state, and may be the last of its kind along the historic Duwamish River. The property is now for sale.

The problem of saving the Duwamish Farmhouse, what we're calling the Hansen Farmhouse after George and Carrie Hansen, the original owners, is not as complex as the effort to save First United Methodist Church. The story of the house and its fate directly relates to the history of development along the Duwamish. Present-day plans to improve the environmental health of the river, and tell the story of the place along the river's edge, could be key to saving this irreplaceable resource.

A Brief History

The Hansen Farmhouse's residents watched Seattle transform from a pioneer town to the largest city in the Pacific Northwest. In 1887, when the Hansen's purchased 40 acres along the Duwamish, they joined a number of early residents who, attracted by the opportunities of the fertile river plain, farmed for a while, and were then absorbed into the industrial work that supported a large number of Seattlites throughout most of the twentieth century.

The house remained in the same family until 2002 when they sold the house and property to Chemithon Corporation, the current owner.

The land associated with the house has changed significantly since 1887. What was originally 40 acres (a standard size associated with farming and homesteading), was whittled away as industrialization and transportation projects transformed the landscape. Straightening the Duwamish, along with filling in the tideflats and taming Seattle's hills downtown were all part of comprehensive efforts to improve Seattle's economic prospects.

The activity, which was fairly common in the late 19th and early 20th century, and much of the industrial development supported by reshaping the land, took its toll on historic cultural landscapes such as farms like the Hansen's, and places like Georgetown which began as a farming community, but evolved into a working class neighborhood supporting the surrounding industrial and manufacturing base.

The relationship between the natural environment, Native Indian cultural traditions (strongly connected to the natural environment), early settlement history, and industrial development culminates in the issues involved in preservation solutions for the Hansen Farmhouse, and other cultural sites nearby.

Chemithon purchased the piece of land containing the farmhouse in 2002, an is now looking for a buyer. The site is a 29,747 square foot (.68 acres) sliver on the west side of West Marginal Way, separated from the river by industrial operations, and from the rest of West Seattle by a steep, forested ridge.

Historic Seattle has been in contact with Chemithon, who has expressed some interest in the history of the house. Since we became aware of the house being for sale, we have considered how the building might be saved while satisfying the property owner's expectations, and in a way that figures into the big picture of Duwamish-area preservation efforts.

What's Going On On the Duwamish?

On September 13, 2001, the Environmental Protection Agency listed the Lower Duwamish Waterway as a superfund site. Superfund status relates to the site's potential or current health impacts. Seattle has seen historic preservation activity and environmental clean up come together at Gas Works Park, a project that has garnered awards from a number of sectors. Might the solution to saving the Hansen Farmhouse also tie together natural and cultural conservation? Quite possibly.

A number of groups are actively engaged in cleaning up the Duwamish, many of which have been or are engaged in preserving cultural resources. These include the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Port of Seattle and the Duwamish Tribe.

The Duwamish Tribe has plans for a Long house and Cultural Center on West Marginal Way. The City of Seattle's Arts Commission, along with a number of public agencies, partnered to produce a 12 mile series of public art installations from Alki Beach up the Duwamish River. And the ridge immediately to the west of the farmhouse, part of George Hansen's original 40 acres, is part of the West Seattle Greenbelt. The swath of forested land is one of Seattle's largest wildlife corridors, and is home to fox, hawks, and bald eagles.

The house is also located in West Seattle, whose stewards of heritage are responsible for saving the Admiral Theater and the Log House Museum, and have a slate of other accomplishments making them one of the strongest grass roots heritage communities in our city.

What does all this have to do with the practical details of saving the farmhouse?

For one, the house is significant. The story of the Duwamish's evolution over the past 150 years is reflected in its form, its age, its original use, and its contemporary context. Besides losing its upper level windows, which were stolen earlier this year, the house has changed very little over the past century. It could probably qualify for local landmark status which would make it eligible for federal tax incentives, local incentives and grants which could be used to rehabilitate the house, and/or move it, if an appropriate site were found.

It is also relatively small, compact, and light -- made of wood, it would be relatively easy to move. It is also close to the water, which would make moving the house to another Duwamish River locale fairly uncomplicated. One of the biggest hassles (and costs) associated with moving houses are the many permits involved in moving power and telephone lines along city streets.

Given the number of environmental organizations working on solutions for preserving natural resources associated with the Duwamish, at least one of these organizations might be an ideal partner in a "green preservation" experiment on the Hansen Farmhouse, which is also an ideal green building project (given its size and the materials of its construction).

This sort of preservation project, that is, a green historic rehabilitation, would provide an exceptional opportunity to educate the general public about green building practices. The house is also a great subject for a preservation field school project teaching students of preservation about historic building methods, documenting historic buildings, and might show how public-private partnerships are invaluable to saving historic buildings and landscapes.

The challenge is finding an appropriate site (if moving is necessary), and incorporating the house's long term use into plans that recognize its significance.

We are hopeful that the property owners will recognize this significance and participate in what we know would be an invaluable public conversation about the history of the Duwamish, and its place in our city's future.

View last month's Preservation & Environment article

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