Help us Save the Stone Cottage

Partner with us to move the beloved and legendary Stone Cottage on
Harbor Avenue SW near Alki Beach in West Seattle to its forever home 

THE STONE COTTAGE HAS BEEN MOVED AND SAVED!!!
The Stone Cottage rolled into temporary storage in the early hours of Aug 18, 2021

PHASE II - HELP US LOCATE ITS FOREVER HOME

AMAZING HISTORY

The Stone Cottage was built by Eva Falk during the Great Depression. Eva and her mother came up with its unique façade of more than 15,000 beach stones, carried from the beach near the Alki Lighthouse, and each stone was thoughtfully placed by hand on the exterior of the building.

As the decades passed, Eva welcomed all manner of strangers to her “rock house”, turning them into friends. Eva died in 1997 at the age of 92.

FUTURE OF THE BUILDING

Save The Stone Cottage LLC developed a comprehensive three-phased plan.

Phase I: Research, fund-raise and relocate into storage.  DONE!

   Phase II: Scout and secure final site location, fund-raise and permitting.

 Phase III: Fund-raising, final move and building restoration. 

Our mission is to secure a new location, possibly in a park or on school grounds (due to COVID19, talks with the City of Seattle are on hold), preserving this piece of history for generations to come.
ABOUT THE RESCUE EFFORT

The stone-studded cottage has been a beloved and legendary landmark for 90 years and our goal is to move it to a new site, preserving the history of our city for generations to come.

 The Stone Cottage is crammed between condos and townhouses, standing in the way of development. The owner of the property has agreed to allow the house to be moved before construction begins.

THE RESCUE EFFORT

Stone Cottage vs. Wrecking Ball

The Stone Cottage was crammed between condos and townhouses, standing in the way of development. The owner of the property agreed to allow the house to be moved before demolition began in the Summer of 2021.

UPDATE: The Stone Cottage rolled into temporary storage on Aug. 18, 2021
Phase II: Locating its forever home – IN PROCESS


We are excited to have the Southwest Seattle Historical Society as our Fiscal Sponsor. 
Your donation is tax deductable

**PLEASE SPECIFY “SAVE THE STONE COTTAGE” IN THE NOTES FIELD ONCE YOU DONATE**

If you prefer to write a check, please make the check payable to “SWSHS for the SSC Project” and mail to:

Southwest Seattle Historical Society
3003 61st Ave SW
Seattle, WA 98116

You can help save the Stone Cottage

This project is in conjunction with the Southwest Seattle Historical Society in its ongoing effort to preserve the history of our great city. This is a complicated project, but we are determined to save this amazing piece of West Seattle history. If the Stone Cottage hadn’t been moved, demolition would have begun in the summer of 2021, and we would have lost a piece of our history.

Our goal is to raise $110,000 for Phase I, enabling us to move the Stone Cottage to a safe storage facility, while simultaneously searching for it’s final home and eventual restoration.
FUNDRAISING GOAL

We are currently raising funds for Phase II

DEADLINE

THE PLAN

An extensive 3 phase plan is underway. Phase I included the structural reinforcement required to safely move and relocate the Stone Cottage to a safe storage facility where it will be secured and stored for 2-3 years while we work on the final placement and restoration efforts.

STRETCH GOAL

Our team is working hard to develop a comprehensive restoration plan for the Stone Cottage. Now that Phase I is complete, we will move into Phase II which involves securing a final location for the Cottage.

The Rocks Thrill with Memories

As the decades passed, Eva welcomed all manner of strangers to the Stone Cottage, turning them into friends.

For good reason, one stone placed prominently near the cottage’s front door bears the shape of a heart. “Even the rocks thrill with memories of past events,” said Chief Seattle, the namesake of the city of Seattle. “The very dust beneath your feet responds more lovingly to our footsteps … the soil is rich with the life of our kindred … because it is the ashes of our ancestors.”

If These Walls Could Talk

Eva welcomed all manner of strangers to the Stone Cottage, turning them into friends.

My mom told me that this house is for giving shelter to anybody and anything.

Carmecita (Firpo) Munoz

Daughter of Eva Falk

They took their little wagon, and walked all the way down to the Alki Lighthouse and picked up the nice, round, grey rocks there, and walked all the way back.

Merrilee Hagen

Former President of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society

Old buildings matter because they tell the story of the city. Once they’re gone, that’s it. You can’t build an old building.

John Bennett

Owner, Bennett Properties

Help us reach our goals

Now that Phase I is complete we are currently fund-raising for Phase II, while simultainiously searching for its final site location and preparing for the building restoration.

Fundraising Goal

40/60 Chance Wrecking Ball Wins

Cottage Prepped Ready to Move

We Volunteers are Ready to Rock & Roll

The rescue effort is spearheaded by an incredible group of volunteers.

Experts Include architects, historians, writers, documentarians, preservationists, community advocates & people passionate about our history.

John Bennett

Visionary / Historic Building Consultant

Bennett Properties

Kathy Blackwell

Historic Activist & Volunteer

President, Southwest Seattle Historical Society

Deb Barker

Historic Activist & Volunteer

President, Morgan Community Association

Jeff McCord

Historic Activist & Volunteer

Owner at Up Media

Mike Shaughnessy

Historic Activist & Volunteer

Gadget-guy / Junkologist / Antiques

Ken Workman

Historic Consultant

4th Generation Grandson of Chief Seattle

B.J. Bullert

Documentary Filmmaker

Shari Sewell

Multi-passionate Problem Solver & Volunteer

Lisa McNelis

Architectural Consultant

McNelis Architects

Our Partners

We are working with some of the leading professionals in the field of building reclaimation and adaptive reuse.

Meet the Developer

Chainqui Develpment purchased the property in 2019 and has been working closely with the “Save the Stone Cottage” LLC and the neighborhood to ensure the safe removal of the cottage. Through their dedication to the community and to the cottage’s historic significance, they have generously donated a significant amount of time and money towards the success of this project.

How can you help?

There are many ways you can take meaningful action to help save the Stone Cottage from demolition and see it get moved to a new location. You can donate, volunteer, and spread the word in our community! Contact us below if you want to learn more…

We are excited have the Southwest Seattle Historical Society as our Fiscal Sponsor.
Your donation is tax deductable!

**PLEASE SPECIFY “SAVE THE STONE COTTAGE” IN THE NOTES FIELD ONCE YOU DONATE**

If you prefer to write a check, please make the check payable to “SWSHS for the SSC Project” and mail to

the Southwest Seattle Historical Society at 3003 – 61st Ave SW, Seatle WA 98116.
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