The demolition two weekends ago of the J.C. Black mansion at 222 W. Highland Drive on Queen Anne Hill outraged history buffs and neighbors alike.
But there may not have been anything anyone could have done to prevent the destruction of the 1914-era home across the street from Kerry Park, said Magno-lian Mimi Sheridan, a consultant for historic preservationists.
"The fact is, there are no regulations that prohibit people from tearing down a house that [other] people think is historic," she said.
There is no doubt that the house was historically significant, according to Jeffrey Ochsner, a Queen Anne resident and an architecture professor at the University of Washington.
The home was designed by Andrew Willatsen, a protégé of famed architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, Ochs-ner said via e-mail. "The loss of the J.C. Black residence is truly a tragedy," he added.
Sheridan said homes have to go through a landmark process before they can be preserved as historical. "Anybody can submit a landmark nomination, but nobody did [for the Queen Anne home]," she added.
But even if the home had been nominated for landmark status, that still wouldn't guarantee the mansion would be saved. For one thing, property owners can object to the landmark status of their homes. "I've been to lots of hearings where people bring their land-use attorneys," she said. "People can argue their way out of anything."
The Landmarks Preservation Board has the authority to landmark a building even if the owner doesn't want to, Sheridan added. "But they are reluctant to use [the authority]."
Having that part of Queen Anne declared a historic district may have helped preserve the home, she said. "But that would require a separate ordinance, research and an agreement with property owners."
In addition, the fact the home was for sale was known for quite some time to neighbors, real estate agents and Historic Seattle, which did research on the home several years ago, Sheridan said.
Kenneth Woolcott bought the house last summer after it had been on the market for 10 months. Reached last week on the cellphone number listed on the Department of Planning and Development Web site, Woolcott said he couldn't talk because he was in a car, but he promised to call back later.
He subsequently left a message at the News, referring questions about the home to an attorney for the estate of the former owner. The attorney did not return a call, and Woolcott did not respond to a message on his voice mail from the News asking for further comment.
He has since stopped answering his cellphone, but Woolcott told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer last week that the house was demolished because it was full of mold and asbestos. He also said it would cost at least $3 million to restore the home.
Ochsner worries about Woolcott's claim concerning asbestos contamination because there were apparently no asbestos-abatement steps taken before the house was razed, something that could put neighbors' health at risk, he said. "If there was truly a lot of asbestos and the owner did not follow the rules on asbestos removal, is he subject to legal action?" Ochsner wondered.
News reporter Russ Zabel can be reached at 461-1309 or rzabel@nwlink.com
