Historic stone cottage in West Seattle facing demolition; Group hopes to preserve and move it to new home – Westside Seattle

The landmark stone cottage on Harbor Ave SW has stood since the 1930's and is now facing the wrecking ball. SAVE THE STONE COTTAGE, an organization formed to preserve the structure is hoping to raise $110,000 to move it, then find a permanent home in the West Seattle area.

West Seattles last 1930s era Stone Cottage is around a month and just over$70,000 away from demolition. They are attempting raise $110,000 to save it, with an eventual plan to place it in the Alki area on public property.

Eva's Stone Cottage which has stood at 1123 Harbor Ave SW since the 1930's is facing the wrecking ball in January, but the landowner has given permission to move it. That's what The Save the Stone Cottage LLC organization is aiming to do.

They are holding two press conferences, the firsta live press conference on site (following health protocols) at 10:30am followed by a virtual press conference - on Friday, December 11, 2020. It's a chance to hear about theirefforts to relocate Evas Stone Cottage, learn about its construction, and meet some Save the Stone Cottage supporters.

The project website offers more information:

History

"The Stone Cottage was built by Eva Falk during the Great Depression. Eva and her mother came up with its unique faade of more than 15,000 beach stones, carried from the beach near the Alki Lighthouse, and each stone was thoughtfully placed by hand on the exterior of the building. As the decades passed, Eva welcomed all manner of strangers to her rock house, turning them into friends. Eva died in 1997 at the age of 92."

Future of the building

Save The Stone Cottage LLC has developed a three-phased plan and has until January 2021 to move the house off the site. We are actively scouting locations and have planned the logistics of physically moving the 90-year-old stone house.Our mission is to secure a new location, possibly in a park or on school grounds (due to COVID19, talks with the City of Seattle are on hold), preserving this piece of history for generations to come.

About the rescue effort

The stone-studded cottage has been a beloved and legendary landmark for 90 years and our goal is to move it to a new site, preserving the history of our city for generations to come.The Stone Cottage is now crammed between condos and townhouses, standing in the way of development. The owner of the property has agreed to allow the house to be moved before construction begins.

Through generous donations from the property developer, Chainqui, as well as from the handful of faithful volunteers, theyare on our way to raising $110,000 to move and store the Stone Cottage.

An extensive 3 phase plan is underway. Phase I will include the structural reinforcement required to safely move and relocate the Stone Cottage to a safe storage facility where it will be secured and stored for 2-3 years while the group works on the final placement and restoration efforts.

The rescue effort features some well known West Seattle figures including, John Bennett, of Bennett Properties, Kathy Blackwell, President of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, Deb Barker, President, Morgan Community Association, Jeff McCord, Owner at Up Media, Mike Shaugnessy, Ken Workman, B.J. Bullert, Shari Sewell, and Lisa McNelis.

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Historic stone cottage in West Seattle facing demolition; Group hopes to preserve and move it to new home - Westside Seattle