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SEATTLE—August 8, 2007—As the
Harry Thomas Community Center at Lee House nears completion, plans
are underway for a community open house from 5 - 7 pm on Wednesday,
Sept. 5.
The old house,
which was present on the property before it became Holly Park in the
late 1930s, was home to
Seattle police
officer
Charles Lee
and his family. Once the land to build Holly Park was acquired and
the family moved out, the house was used for offices and community
space into the 1990s.
Because the house is an important part of the neighborhood’s history, SHA was
reluctant to tear it down. Instead, donations have been sought and
volunteer help has been donated to return the old house to its
original beauty and usefulness.
Polygon
Northwest and Bennett-Sherman, two of the builders of for-sale homes
in the neighborhood, have made substantial contributions. Polygon
applied the new siding, which was donated, and Bennett contributed
the wood and labor to restore the elegant old woodwork and provide
new wood floors. |
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A Seattle-based
architectural firm, DKA, donated design services to make sure the
interior looked appropriate to the period when the house was built.
Volunteer
carpentry apprentices applied new insulation and sheetrock. Many
other people volunteered contributions to demolition, landscaping
and finish work. SHA’s Impact Property Services provided
needed labor to fill in the gaps.
The four offices
on the upper floor of the old house will be occupied by Neighborhood
House. The lower floor, which has two large rooms and a kitchenette,
will be rented out for community meetings, parties and other events.
The open house on
September 5 will provide an opportunity to tour the house and say
hello to Harry Thomas. Seattle Housing named the renewed
building to honor Thomas' contributions to SHA over
the 13 years he served as SHA's executive director. Stop by between 5 and 7 p.m. Brief ceremonies will be held at 6 p.m.
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