Seattle, Washington: Spite House

For having been built in the front yard, the Spite House is pretty impressive. Of course, it has probably had some renovations over the years.

The Spite House is still there, but a bit further south (up the hill) than I had remembered. The proper cross street is Newton, not Louisa. Secondly, the hedge around the south end has grown a LOT taller over the past decade. In fact you can no longer see the (very) narrow south end of the house from the street. When I took my photographs I had to back into the alley on the south side. A real shame. On the plus side, the building has been very well maintained, and looks like it will be standing for a good while longer yet.

In the 1920s there was a *nasty divorce*. The judge awarded the husband the house and the wife the front yard. Perhaps he thought a sale would bring the two back together? Alas, twas not to be. The wife took her property and built a house on it.

From the front the Spite House looks perfectly ordinary, if a little old- fashioned (pink stucco, spanish-tiled roof). It's the side dimensions that make it unique. The north end is only ten feet wide, the south, only five.