86 Years Old and She Ain’t Movin’

Add Edith Macefield to the list of people who have refused to move from their homes to make way for development. In an article in today’s Seattle PI by Kathy Mulady, 86-year-old Edith Macefield turned down $1 million dollars to move from her 108-year-old house to make way for a 5-story multi-use project. Macefield’s home is in Ballard, a Seattle neighborhood with deep Scandinavian roots. It sits in the shadow of the Ballard Bridge and is kitty corner to another holdout: Mike’s Chili Parlor. Fellow residents are forlorn that their neighborhood coming apart, little-by-little due to condos and developments like this one, but Edith and the owner of Mike’s Chili Parlor have become neighborhood heroes.

Edith’s home has a Zestimate of approximately $303,000. She has lived in this house most of her life, buying it from her mother in 1955.

Even though her home is right-smack in the path of the planned development, the construction workers take care of her, driving her to doctor’s appointments and checking in to make sure she is OK. It’s like everyone’s grandmother is on the site. According to the article, she doesn’t regret selling, pooh-pooh’s the construction noise, and plays her opera loud, adding, “I went through World War II, the noise doesn’t bother me,” she said.

I doubt that she would refuse to move if she were younger, but when you reach 86 years old, where are you going to go that will feel like home? But still, a million dollars? Oh well. Turn up the opera, Edith.