Historic Sammamish building faces date with wrecking ball

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By Casey Norton & KOMO Staff

Summary

The 115-year-old Freed House could be torn down if no one can come up with $700,000 to move the house -- a price the city says it can't afford.

Story Published: Feb 8, 2010 at 7:09 PM PDT

Story Updated: Feb 8, 2010 at 7:39 PM PDT

Historic Sammamish building faces date with wrecking ball
SAMMAMISH, Wash. -- The oldest building in town could be destined for the wrecking ball because the city doesn't have the money to save it.

People walk through Sammamish and don't give the 115-year-old Freed House a second look these days.

A developer moved the farm house about 10 years ago, but the city says it can't afford to lift it on steel beams and move it again. Instead, it wants to tear it down.

"There has been some discussion about moving it to the town center, relocating it there and rehabbing it so people can get in and look around an historic building," said Tim Larson with the City of Sammamish. "But, the $700,000 price tag is just way too high."

It's looking a little worn these days, but in its heyday, the Freed House was one of the nicest houses on the plateau, and some folks in town still think it's worth fighting for.

The Sammamish Heritage Society holds on to black and white photos, and the paperwork for its place on the National Register of Historic Places.

Virginia Kuhn started the rescue effort before Sammamish was even a city.

"Because it's a new city, we need to save something of the heritage so that people understand where they came from, where the whole thing started," Kuhn said.

The Freed Home was a logging house before the great depression. Then it was an egg farm. Hollywood added to the history in 1980 -- Ron Howard filmed "Act of Love" on site.

You can see the Freed House behind Mickey Rourke and his motorcycle.

Howard painted the house red in the movie and it stayed that way for two decades. The red paint has chipped away and the porch was dismantled.

But Kuhn thinks the 115-year-old house has a future.
"I think it's beautiful," she said. "And I think it could be something incredibly lovely once it's restored again."

She knows the city doesn't have the money to do it. So she hopes someone will see a chance to save history and this old house.

The Sammamish City Council has not set a deadline for tearing down the house.

You can find more information at the Sammamish Heritage Society