SEATTLE—January 16, 2006—An energetic group of volunteers converged on the Harry Thomas Community Center at Lee House today. By the time they left, the proud old house, which is the only original house left standing at NewHolly, was ready for the next stage of its restoration.

More than a dozen volunteers from CityYear, along with several from Seattle Housing Authority, used the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday to tear out old lath and plaster preparing the house for its new wall surfaces, electrical work and plumbing.

As the volunteers dug in with prybars and hammers, one CityYear volunteer commented, “I view this MLK holiday as a day on, not a day off.”

As the volunteers systematically pulled the old lath from the walls, two by fours and other structural features emerged. One exciting surprise was the discovery of the original building permit inside the front living room wall. According to Carter Hart, the project’s lead volunteer, “We knew that the house had been built before 1920, but we didn’t know exactly when. Now we know that construction began in 1907, an entire decade earlier than we thought.”

Knowing that original date, the committee in charge of the Lee House renovations can now say that their goal is to restore the building to full functionality before it reaches 100. In order to do that, the committee has the goal of raising $50,000 to supply the fixtures and furniture that is needed.

Polygon Northwest, one of the builders building homes for sale at NewHolly, is donating labor and materials to complete the exterior and interior work, and the landscaping. “Polygon’s contribution is incredibly valuable,” said Hart. “Without their help, this would be a very difficult goal to meet.”

Most recently, Polygon has been working on installing the building’s new windows. While the window frames themselves are vinyl rather than wood, the style is reflective of the original window style. Polygon also recently completed the foundation for the soon-to-be restored front porch.

Eventually, the two ground floor rooms will be used as small conference and meeting rooms for neighborhood groups and NewHolly residents. The upstairs will consist of four small offices that will be made available for rental to neighborhood businesses or non-profit organizations.

The Lee House was originally the home of the family of Seattle police officer Charles Lee for more than 20 years. When World War II efforts expanded, the City needed the land to build housing for defense workers and the Lee family had to leave their home. Although the property was used for defense worker housing, the house itself remained intact as a community hall. In the 1950s, Seattle Housing took over Holly Park and used the Lee House to serve the community's needs.