Historic home may not be saved

Published 2:00 pm Wednesday, December 8, 2004

Moved out of the way of a development, now it violates zoning.

When Bill Moore saved a century-old Winslow house from demolition, he never imagined he might have to order the wrecking ball back in motion.

But, by order of the city, Moore has just over a month to tear down or move the historic Cave House that has been sitting on stilts on a Ferncliff Avenue property for over two years.

Moore has spent almost $55,000 trying to save the house, with about $30,000 just to move the 1,000-square-foot structure about 300 feet from it’s original foundation at the corner of Hawley Way and Ferncliff.

He said moving the house again isn’t a financially viable option, but demolishing it would be tragic.

“I’ve lived on the island for 38 years and have always been interested in our history,” Moore said. “Plus, I’m an architecture buff and wanted to save a beautiful building.”

The Cave House was built at the end of the 19th century for the family of Robert Cave, the first general manager of Hall Brothers Shipyards.

The house later served as a dance studio before Washington Development announced it would demolish it to make way for a large mixed-use project. The property has been discussed for development by various interests for about seven years, but no project has ever broken ground.

Moore agreed to move the home to a nearby parcel he owned in 2000. The property already featured the Sanders Sisters Boarding House, built in 1905 to house Hall Bros. workers.

“I wanted to keep the Cave House in Winslow, next to another building that was historically related,” he said.

City officials say they permitted Moore to store the house on the property for 90 days, barring him from settling there because the structure would violate the zoning.

Moore demolished a small structure to make way for the Cave House, but the building’s “footprint” is more than 300 square-feet larger than what the parcel is zoned for, according to city planners.

Moore expected to re-plat his property, combining an adjacent parcel he owns to give the Cave House its own, properly zoned lot.

But in the summer of 2002, the city passed a two-year moratorium on subdivision of properties, just 11 days before Moore was set to make his move.

The city issued the moving permits on the day of the move and Moore was given the verbal go-ahead to transport the home.

It was not until September 2003, in the midst of his own year-long fight with cancer, that Moore obtained a printed copy of the permit and learned for the first time of the “move or lose” condition.

Moore likened dealing with city code to “a death by a thousand cuts.” But city officials are standing firm.

“The city has tried to accomodate Mr. Moore by allowing the move and the 90 days,” said senior planner Bob Katai. “He had over two years to resolve this, but nothing was done.”

The city would like to see the house preserved in an appropriate location, but Moore must adhere to the city zoning code and other regulations, said city building official Mark Hinkley.

“We never implied he could stay there,” he said. “Basically, his time’s up.”

Hinkley said the city has received complaints about the house as an “attractive nuiscance,” a possible safety hazard and eyesore. Officials fear the vacant home may attract vandalism, although none has been reported.

“I know it isn’t pretty sitting on stilts like that,” Moore said. “I didn’t expect it to stay this way.”

Erica Varga, director of the Bainbridge Island Historical Museum, hopes the city will make an exception for the Cave House, allowing Moore more time and flexibility.

“This is an important part of Winslow’s and the island’s history,” she said. “We don’t often have people offering to do what Bill has done. It doesn’t get any better than someone going the extra mile, going through the permits, the lawyer fees, shelling out 50 grand to save a historical building.

“And then to run into this obstacle – it’s outrageous. If the city can’t provide a variance, it’s pretty bad. It sets a bad example of what we should be doing to preserve our history.”

Moore intends to meet a deadline tomorrow to appeal the city’s decision. He is also open to someone purchasing and moving the home in an effort to save it.

“There’s no way I can throw that house in the washer and shrink it to the right size,” he said. “I don’t know what I’ll do.”