The Palace on the Hill: A Glimpse into Seattle’s Victorian Splendor

The McNaught house is at last completed. This magnificent building, which is a veritable palace, is not excelled in beauty by anything on the Pacific Coast. It is commandingly situated on high lots, cornering on Third and Marion streets, where it faces the bay. The interior of this building has been to these columns at least twice before, and also a description of its exterior appearance and its interior arrangements, a repetition of which will not therefore be attempted now. At this time we will be content with merely a reference to those matters and a short description of the interior finish. Upon opening the double front doors one finds himself in the finest hallway in the Territory, with heavy and beautifully marked sliding doors on either side that lead into the parlor and library. The hall is divided midway by side partitions which break the monotony and conceal back doors that lead to other apartments. The staircase, however, is the grand feature of this part of the house, if not of the entire house. It is wide and reaches up to the second floor, and is guarded on the side by a heavy black walnut balustrade of exquisite design. Over the stairway is the tower, through the glass walls of which will be shed light in a mild and pleasant manner. The landing at the upper end of the stairs is hardly less attractive than the hall below. The part of the house is wainscoted in redwood polished till it is smooth as glass. The doors are very heavy and handsome, with brass knobs, and swinging on hinges of artistic and durable make. The mantels are of the best art, from the library with its book cases to those over the dining room and parlor, which are again of heavy mantle stone. The gas fixtures are the finest imaginable, and when lit up, as they soon will be, they will surely be a sight to see.