George Carmack House Update
April 21st, 2008 @ 2:09 am by Cliffe | Sorted Historic Buildings
For those of you who’ve been following our features on the historic George Carmack House located at 1522 E Jefferson (see the original post here, first floor photos here, and 2nd and 3rd floor photos here), I’ve got an interesting update on it. You may remember that we were speculating in the comments about how recently someone might have lived there. I fired off an e-mail to Sabey’s Jim Harmon and he was kind enough to provide some information about the last owner of the home. Check his reply below — really interesting!
Irena Jewdoschenko lived there until her death in late 2005 or so. She has an interesting story. Word is that she was brought to the US by the Sisters of Providence as a domestic worker. Soon after she arrived, they no longer had need for her. I think it was that she was to work in the dormitory and cafeteria of the Nursing School on campus in a building located on the corner of Cherry & 18th (since torn down by the Sisters). The Nursing School had been sold or transferred to Seattle University (Seattle College back then) I think around 1950 or so. The Sisters felt badly for Irena and she stayed with them on campus living in the bell tower for several years. Eventually Irena moved out and bought the house at 1522 East Jefferson along with a number of other parcels. I got the sense that she was the proverbial millionaire next door. However, she was fairly incoherent, at least near the end. Our folks started planning on the garage that is under construction back in 2003 or 2004. They met with Irena and her attorney to see about an easement to pin our east wall into the hillside under her house through an easement (later this was approved by Irena’s estate after her death). Apparently Irena was fairly out of it in the meeting until she asked to see the plans. Our guys knew something was up when she asked for the sectional drawings (a buzz word in the biz). After asking, we came to find out that she was an engineer by trade and seemed fairly talented. She asked good, insightful questions. After the guys got through the technical stuff, she seemed to wander back to her distant self. Upon leaving, she asked if she could keep the drawings to review later. She seemed to be a savant!
For years, head of security for the campus, first as an employee for the Sisters of Providence, then after 2000, of Swedish Hospital, kept a close eye on Irena and made sure she was OK. He was one of the few people she would allow into her life. She lived in a house of squalor even more “rugged” than what you show. She was an interesting woman with an interesting life story.
Jim Harmon
Via E-Mail
3/31/08
For years, head of security for the campus, first as an employee for the Sisters of Providence, then after 2000, of Swedish Hospital, kept a close eye on Irena and made sure she was OK. He was one of the few people she would allow into her life. She lived in a house of squalor even more “rugged” than what you show. She was an interesting woman with an interesting life story.
Jim Harmon
Via E-Mail
3/31/08
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| Inside the George Carmack House, living room looking into the dining room. Photo by Jess Cliffe. |
April 21st, 2008 @ 8:28 am
Wow, that is kind of heartbreaking and touching but amazing at the same time, Cliff!
April 21st, 2008 @ 9:29 am
Thanks, Cliff, for your diligent digging. Such an intriguing, yet sad, story for both the home and it’s last occupant, and a very archetypal explanation.
May 5th, 2008 @ 4:52 pm
Glad to see the update. Well worth the wait…
Another journey awaits. Will Rogers was at the height of his career when he decided to head north to Alaska (weekly radio show, newspaper column and more than 70 movies) He and pilot Wiley Post parished in a crash near Barrow Alaska, but his last public appearences were here in Seattle. There is a monument and park plaque off of 125th near lake city commerating a crowd of more than 5,000 who gathered to hear his humorous take on the world. He made several other appearances. There must be, somewhere, archival photos, audio and footage of his visits. I have been looking for several years, albiet not very hard.
Care to take on this one?
(by the way, there is Edison Film Footage of ships being loaded at the pier to head north to the goldrush… That I HAVE found!)