The Art of Raising Houses
Seattle property owners take pride in extreme, gravity-defying architecture as they elevate buildings to create room for new business ventures.
The story, cleaned up
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A year or so ago we took occasion to call attention to the very peculiar style of architecture adopted by Mr. Drew while improving his Front street lot. Not to be outdone Mr. William Walker comes to the front. He has a lot adjoining Mr. Drew's, and from the appearance of things his improvements, in point of beauty, will eclipse those above mentioned. A dwelling house on the lot has been raised high in the air, and a small business house is being built under it. There is another dwelling house on the lot which will likewise be elevated, and have a butcher shop placed under it. It can safely be stated that for architectural beauty in improvements Port Gamble property holders in Seattle take the cake.
“A dwelling house on the lot has been raised high in the air, and a small business house is being built under it.”
Early Seattle was characterized by massive physical transformations, including the regrading of entire hillsides and the literal lifting of buildings to accommodate growth. This 'elevation' mania mirrors the rapid, often frantic, real-estate development cycles seen in Seattle today.
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