In a sad update to perhaps one of Seattle’s most wonderful legends of Old Ballard standing its ground against new development — in large part due to the tech industry and those who serve them’s appetite for real estate — Edith Macefield’s house failed to find a buyer today.
As reported by King 5, the house, surrounded by the Ballard Blocks, which contains Trader Joe’s and LA Fitness, went up for auction but could not attract a buyer.
Macefield became a Seattle legend when she refused to sell her home for $1 million to developers. She owned the home for 50 years, before dying in 2008 at the age of 86.
The house went into foreclosure, which meant a potential buyer would have to pay off the first mortgage, bringing the asking price to more than $500,000.
The house, which was used to promote Pixar’s Up, goes back to the bank. Community organizers were hoping the house could become a public gathering space, with even groups like Eat Ballard creating a fund-raiser. But who knows if that’s possible now. Other news sources are even reporting that the wrecking ball is inevitable, including the Daily Mail and Yahoo.
Half a mil is a lot to pay for a shack on dirt — even in Ballard. But here’s hoping someone will step in and do Edith proud.
Watch a video about the “Legend of Edith” below:
