The Seattle home of a now-dead woman who refused to sell it to developers is now going up for foreclosure auction.
Edith Macefield's story became well-known after she turned down $1 million from land developers who wanted her tiny home. The two-story, two-bedroom house where she had lived since 1966 has stood for more than 100 years. In 2008, it was assessed at $8,000 with the lot valued at $120,000.
When she didn’t sell, her home became boxed in by construction.
Macefield died in June 2008 and willed the home to Barry Martin, the construction manager who oversaw the development that surrounded her home. The two had become friends during the project.
In 2009, Martin then sold the house to Seattle-based Reach Returns. The company planned to remodel the home but keep the outward appearance identical and elevated the home to the height of the surrounding commercial building.
In the space underneath the home, a two-level open space was supposed to be created that would be open to the public.
According to the Seattle PI, Reach Returns owes $200,000 on the property.
It's set to go up for auction March 13.
In 2009, balloons were tied to the home to promote the Disney movie, "UP," a movie in which balloons are used to move an elderly man's home out of the way of encroaching development.
