Edith Mace’s house was like the one in the Disney animated movie, Up. In the movie, an elderly widower refuses to sell his house to a developer. He finally attaches balloons to his house and the audience watches it float up into the sky, to new adventures. In reality, Edith Mace’s house was the only thing standing between a developer and his plans for a 5-story monolith in Seattle. Mace was a widow who purchased the house in 1952 for $3,750 and had it paid off within 2 years. She was 84 years old when a developer offered her $1 million for the house, but she refused. While she didn’t hook her house up to balloons, she stood her ground. Two years after the developer approached her, Edith Mace died on her couch. A construction worker who had befriended her — bringing her groceries, picking up her prescriptions, driving her to doctor appointments, and making dinner for her — found her when he went to check on her. He had discovered through conversations with Edith that she had a son who died at 13 from meningitis. She was a writer, a saxophone player, and an autograph hound. When she passed away, the 1,000-square-foot house was sold to a realtor for $310,000. Since then, the title has changed hands, and today it stands abandoned, with no clear plans for its future. The tiny house still sits in the shadow of Ballard Blocks, a development consisting of shops and offices. If Edith were still alive, she’d probably be sitting on the front steps, bellowing out her saxophone and telling her stories to her new neighbors.
