What Happened to Seattle's Millionaire's Row?

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Before Starbucks and Amazon, Seattle boasted the homes of some of the nation’s first Millionaires.

Location: Seattle, Washington

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Photos from: B Caslon

[johnhaxby]

walking 14th street (millionaires row) is one of my favorite things to do around Halloween, the fallings leaves, the stately homes, it just feels nice. Most of these houses have been up for sale over the past 2 years and fetch anywhere between $5 million and $8 million. The Shaffer-Baillie house is a B and B and you can stay there, totally worth it because the rooms are huge and you get the run of the house (the owners live on the top floor) so you can go downstairs in one of the great rooms and sit and feel the house in all its grandeur.

[Anonymouse]

I grew up on Capital Hill in Seattle, on 18th and Aloha, so about 6 or so blocks from Millionaires Row. It’s crazy seeing these old pictures of the street without any huge trees! It’s a genuinely beautiful area, and I was incredibly lucky (and spoiled!) to have grow up in that area. Volunteer Park is just a wonderful park, and the houses around there are just amazing to look at. Makes me homesick!

[claudiamann]

So glad that so many of these houses still survive. Amazing how fast that city grew.

[Gizathecat]

A bit to the west of the grand houses around Volunteer Park, overlooking Lake Union and the Olympics in the distance is the Sam Hill mansion. Hill was a railroad baron who built the Maryhill Museum of Art overlooking the Columbia River and the nearby Stonehenge replica.

[nikolec.]

I was born and raised in Seattle and never heard of Millionaires Row, but it makes sense. I went to St. Joseph’s on 18th & Aloha in the 80’s and often went to my classmates homes in the area after school (I grew up in Madison Valley, a couple of miles east of Millionaires Row). None of them lived on Millionaires Row, but still lived in the many gorgeous homes in the area. I’m always in awe of the beautiful homes in that area even to this day.

[rebeccablakey]

Seattle is such a beautiful city. So many amazing historical buildings there. So many people that built amazing homes. They are definitely beautiful.

[Kristenhascats]

My sister lives in Seattle and I showed her this video. Now I'm going to visit and get to see the houses myself!

[zackhartmann]

seattle has a really fascinating history - definitely would like more videos!!

[MuchPurple]

I used to live on Queen Anne hill in a beautiful old 1910 house. Although they regraded (flattened) hills closer to downtown, Queen Anne was left alone, so some of the houses on top have fabulous views. I wish I still owned that house!

[sandystarfish]

My family had moved to Seattle back in 1967 from No. Dakota, we ended up living in a beautiful home on 15 and Aloha...it was an incredibly beautiful neighborhood, lawns and shrubs well manicured and only 3 blocks from Volunteer Park, it was a family park then and an artists landscape...that was many years ago...although the homes remain, the beauty of it has been taken away..so sad. Thank you for posting this video, people can't understand how beautiful it once was.

[matt]

I used to live on Capitol Hill and enjoyed walks around Volunteer Park, looking at all the gorgeous homes. And of course there is Madison Park too!

[karenokeane]

I grew up there, and attended University on Capitol still a lovely neighborhood. Thank you for posting.

[AndreA-dlpo]

North Capitol Hill is like a vast treasure trove of late 19th century/early twentieth century styles. Queen Anne, Gothic, Tudor, Craftsmans. Just hundreds and hundreds of intact stately homes on streets with mature trees. Very much worth visiting. Seattle did not experience urban renewal butchery to any extent as much as other cities and freeway revolts in the 60s and 70s were largely successful. For street after street of Tudor revivals head a few miles north to the Ravenna area (A designated historic district) and to Wallingford for Craftsman overload land. They're trying to designate about 25% of Wallingford as a historic district. Thats a long ongoing controversial story that probably justifies its own separate video. All of those areas are basically current millionaire's rows since there are no houses on sale for less than a million dollars.

[randykreifels]

You channel is always improving. I am amazed that you put this information together so quickly. Yes Seattle has alot of old original homes, great neighborhoods .

[devoncantrell]

I’ve been in that second house for a wedding. It’s absolutely gorgeous, it’s a complete maze inside with large staircases. I remember feeling almost lost. It’s gorgeous and has an almost night club like room in the basement.

[nitrobiz]

I grew up right across the street from Volunteer Park where most of these homes are still standing. Thank goodness they haven’t been torn down unlike other cities.

[helenvanbockern]

O love driving throughout Seattle neighborhoods from the mansion to the smaller homes in west Seattle so fun to see them all

[ACE-sxmo]

Was born up near millionaire's row and now live a short walk away in a 112 year old wanna-be mansion. All the long-ago owners would be proud to see how well their old neighborhood has survived and flourished.

[GuantanamoBayBarbie]

Thank you for covering this! I had passed those homes so many times on my way to & from Volunteer Park when I lived in the C.D. on 15th & Spring. I always admired them, but I didn't know the history of the neighborhood.
Great video! :^)

[bscottb]

3:04 This is a master class in good residential design, the homes honoring a harmonious set-back and scale, yet each distinct for neighborhood liveliness.