Hunts Point Southeast – Cozy Cove – Mansions

North to South

Steve and Connie Ballmer purchased this estate in 1987 for $1.3 million and extensively renovated the buildings, but maintained their charm, in 1991. Steve joined Microsoft in 1980 for a percentage of the company, a $50,000 annual salary and stock options. He was Microsoft’s 24th employee and first manager other than Gates and Allen. Steve is the current CEO and a multi-billionaire. The mansion and property has a $10 million estimated value. The main house is 4,175 sq ft and the property is 2.09 acres with 160 feet of waterfront. It is adjacent to the south of Craig McCaw’s (formerly Kenny G’s) mansion. Compared to the other 30 present and past Microsoft executives’ homes in my book, Ballmer has a relatively modest estate. It is on page 155. Ballmer and this mansion were in 11/17/10 and 5/23/12 Seattle Mansions posts.

This mansion is a 2012 listing for $10.8. From the listing by Anna Riley, Windermere “Welcome to Aotearoa, a modern luxury estate on cherished Hunts Point. Custom designed architecture with refined elegance. A stylish residence offering a light and open floor plan for a contemporary lifestyle. Featuring NanaWalls for inside-outside living, a grand rotunda where spacious rooms effortlessly unfold and state-of-theart technology. Sun drenched, beautiful grounds. This expansive street-to-water property offers a picturesque canvas to play, relax, entertain, or watch the eagles soar.” The mansion is 6,130 sq ft on 1.1 acres with 87 feet of waterfront. It is owned by Garth MacLeod. He is the former Finance Director of Bellevue based InfoSpace. He was featured on KING 5 news in 2011 for his live video feed of an eagle nest on the property. This property is two south of Steve Ballmer’s home on page 155.

This home plus the adjacent lot to the south is listed for $13.8 million. From the listing by Wendy Lister, CBBain: “Happy Birthday ~ 100 years of legacy sited on 2.11ac. A century of tales ~ the capacity for a new lifetime of legends. Two overscale Hunts Point lots side by side. 1 home or 2? Our centenary lady has well served 3 tiers of owners; and graciously would defer to a new-beginning or salute this tremendous land and a 21st 'moderne'. Secret paths for shaded blissful forested strolls. 156' sunlit Lake Washington shores; sweet dock moorage. Grand old-growth grounds. Closed eyes, dreaming of yesterday.” The home, built in 1912, is 5,740 sq ft. It is owned by Frederick J. Kimball. The Kimball family, with Frederick J.’s mother and father, Alice (1919-2012) and Frederick Wright Kimball (1918-2011), as the matriarch and patriarch, has been prominent in Hunts Point for many years.

This home is listed for $6.3 million by Steve Otto, Keller Williams: “This elegant home built in 1988 and extensively renovated in the last 3 years. Perfect f or entertaining and enjoying the Lake Washington waterfront. From the inviting entry way to the warm, cherry paneled wet bar and den this is Northwest living at its finest. The home features a media room, slate terrace off the master, gardening room with heated floor, swimming pool with automatic cover and a gentle sloping lawn down to the 2 berth dock. The finishes are excellent and the grounds immaculate.” The home is 5,510 sq ft on 1.1 acres with 77 feet of waterfront. It is owned by Serenity Enterprises LLC whose manager is Joyce Schweickert of Hunts Point. She is the Founder and CEO of Seattle Pacific Investments, aka Fresh Produce Company.

Charles S. and Karen Lytle purchased this lot and its previous house for $7.3 million 8/21/2006 and replaced that house. The new mansion is on page 157 and is 10,610 sq ft on 2.12 acres with 155 feet of waterfront. It has many features and a similar look of their larger Mercer Island 23,000 sq ft mansion that was sold in 2010 for $12 million. That mansion, page 46, was featured in 9/27/10, 5/24/10, 2/20/10 Seattle Mansions posts. The Lytles are the founders of Leisure Care, one of the largest developers and operators of retirement communities.

This home sold for $3.9 million 6/13/12. It was listed for $5.2 million in 2010 by Wendy Lister, CBBain: “Exceptional 2001 custom, 2-story waterfront. Breathtaking views. 75+ taxable feet plus 273' meandering line on canal. Shingled exterior, gambrel roof, wrap-around porch evocative of Eastern seaboard homes from Rhode Island to Maine. A private lane; park-like setting; sweeping lawn and dock. Open ~ ideal for grand scale entertaining; maximized views. Hardwood entry; stone fireplace; living and dining areas open to porch. Kitchen: European fireplace; top-notch appliances. Terrific master suite.” The home is 4,020 sq ft on 0.6 acres. It was purchased by Jejurikar Sanjay (former Microsoft engineer and executive) from Dana A. Green (former Boeing and Microsoft executive and currently a consultant with Boston-based Stewart Strategies Group LLC).

This vacant property sold 8/19/11 for $3.6 million. It, including a 10,250 sq ft mansion to be constructed, was listed for $12.5 by John L Scott: “In life, occasionally an incredible opportunity presents itself. Acquire 450 feet of Hunts Point waterfront acreage [4.5 acres] perfectly situated in the most private, secluded, natural setting with a long water view and deep water moorage. An estate, a lifestyle, a piece of heaven all your own in a setting that will spoil your senses for anything less. A new benchmark in a lifelong search for the perfect parcel of land. Build your dream home or simply enjoy this pre-sale opportunity as presented today.” The property is adjacent (west of) to the 16 acre Wetherill Nature Preserve and was sold by West Sprague Avenue Holdings LLC (Washington Trust Bank) to Hunt Point Cozy Cove LLC. The principals of the latter LLC are Tony Ataee plus other Ataee family members. Tony is the Founder of Kent-based Crown Pacific Fine Foods.

(Updated 7/23/12)

Stan Sayres Hunts Point – Former Home

This (LW 130 Homes page 147 and see map on previous post below) is the site of the former home of Stan Sayres (1897-1956).  He was known as “The Legend of Lake Washington” and “The Fastest Man Afloat.”  The 2 acre vacant lot with 750 feet of waterfront is for sale for $19.7 million. Stan designed, developed and built new and faster boats named Slo-Moshuns.  He set his first boat-on-water speed record of 160+ mph in 1950 on LW and continued to set new records, all on LW.  He took Slo-Mo IV to Detroit and won the 1950 Gold Cup, boat racing’s biggest prize. Stan brought hydroplane racing to LW in 1951 as part of the Seafair celebration.  The 1951 race was the first U.S. hydroplane race west of Detroit and was a huge success.  Stan became a local hero.  South of the I-90 floating bridges is the Stan S. Sayres Memorial Park, known as the “Sayres Pits.” This is the site of Seafair’s hydroplane races and the Blue Angels air show.

Cruising Cozy Cove and Lake Washington North

The tip of Hunts Point is a vacant lot that is for sale for $20 million.  This site of Stan Sayres home.  Sayres is deceased and was a famous hydroplane developer, builder and racer kown as “The Legend of Lake Washington” and “The Fastest Man Afloat.”

On the east side of the tip is Cozy Cove with Yarrow Point on the east shore of the cove.  The most notable side-by-side waterfront estates on the Hunts Point side belong to Craig McCaw and Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer.  McCaw puchased his castle from Kenny G.

The tip of Yarrow Point marks the end of our mansions tour.  The waterfront mansion at the tip is one of the oldest on Lake Washington.  It was built around 1900 and was the home of Leigh Hunt, who founded and owned the Seattle Post Intellingencer.  The estate is currently for sale for $20 million.

North of here is Kirkland with a public marina and a wonderful waterfront town.  The north end of the lake is fun for relaxing and exploring.  At the very north end of the lake there is Kenmore and a marina.  From there small craft can navigate about four miles up the Sammamish River.

(This is the twelfth and final chapter of our “Lake Washington Cruising” article. The chapters are being posted in reverse order.  When all chapters are posted they will be in order in this blog with the first chapter at the top.  I will be posting approximately two chapters per month.  You can read and print an abbreviated pdf version of the entire article.)

Anchor Bay Charters Recommended

Anchor Bay, our first and primary partner, offers a variety of group tours and events aboard its intimate and luxurious yacht, “Seeker,” for organizations, corporations and private parties. 30 is the ideal group size. Standard departures are from Lake Union but other locations can be arranged.  The yacht has a wonderful upper level sundeck for the summer. The yacht is also ideal for winter cruises as it features a stately heated interior party or dining room with large picture windows. Captain Kelvin and his crew do an outstanding job and cruises with them are always a lot of fun and a great value.  We work with them on “Map of the Stars^TM” cruises and, if your group desires it, I will narrate the tour.

From an on-line review at Yelp: “Super!  My wife and I went on a group charter on an Anchor Bay Charters “Map of the Stars” cruise-tour.  It was fantastic!  The tour included the Lake Washington 130 Homes book (which is also fascinating). We really had fun learning about the Microsoft, Costco, Nordstrom, Amazon, etc. super rich while seeing their gorgeous homes!  Captain Kelvin was great!  We had previously taken friends from out of town on public tours on the area’s major day cruise companies which promoted their tours as including “homes of the area’s rich and famous”.  They told very little about a lot of the spectacular homes we passed and which you can read about in the 130 Homes book.  Anchor Bay is by far the best!” 

Reservations can be booked and information is at:  (206) 781-0709 and Anchor-Bay-Charters View Cruises

Seattle Boat Show Best Selling Book

Lake Washington 130 Homes was a Seattle Boat Show “Best Selling Book” for the second year in a row.  The Boat Show has been in late January and early February of each year and will be for the foreseeable future.  I was at the last two shows signing copies of LW 130 Homes, playing on HDTV a multi-media presentation of the Evening Magazine segment on the book plus the book’s highlights. Books were available for purchase and I was signing them along with having an informal Q&A including my experiences in photographing the mansions and writing and self publishing this unique book. In addition I discussed and presented information on our plans for “LW Map of the Stars^TM” cruise-tours featuring the book and a soon-to-be-available map.   My table and exhibit were at Captain’s Nautical Supplies booth – Concourse 2237. I will on be at the same place next year.

Attendance and activity this year was up from last year’s low.  Boat sales and interest are picking up.  Hopefully this is a sign that the area's economy is also picking up.
(Updated 1/6/12 – go to 1/5/12 post for 2012 show information. The 2012 show is Fri 1/27/12 through Sun 2/5/12.)

Yarrow Point Mansions

Southwest to Northeast

This mansion was sold for $7.6 million 6/5/12. It was listed for $8.8 million in 2011 and $8.3 million in 2012. The home was listed by Tere and David Foster, Windermere. From the Listing: “Drawing inspiration from coastal architecture in Connecticut, this waterfront estate echoes timeless style at every turn. The shingled exterior and traditional lines create harmony with the serene lakeside setting. A remarkable 115 feet of waterfront and west facing views. Artfully designed for the way we live today, for both formal and casual gatherings. Relax with friends on the sweeping veranda. Subtle luxury. Understated elegance. A true classic in every way.” The seller was Mark Zbikowski, a former Microsoft executive. The purchaser is Thomas S. Peters. The mansion is 8,580 sq ft on 0.6 acres with 115 feet of waterfront. It is on page 159 of LW 130 Homes.

This property is listed for $15 million and a sale is pending (June 2012). The current owner and seller is Richard “Rick” Thompson, a Microsoft VP. This was the home (or close to it) of Leigh S. J. Hunt (1855-1933) who owned the Seattle Post Intelligencer. He settled here in the late 1800s and named his estate “Yarrow” after the name of an estate in one of his favorite poems by William Wadsworth. He later purchased property on Hunts Point and that peninsula took his name. The house on this property was built around 1900. The house is about 100 feet from the water behind the trees. The waterfront, which was under water when the house was built prior to the locks, looks like a park but is part of the 3.54 acre estate. This mansion and information are on pages 134, 159 and 162. More information is also in Seattle Mansions.

This is the tip of Yarrow Point, offering fantastic 180° views of Carillon Point to the east, Kirkland’s marina and downtown to the north and the north Seattle area to the west. The property is listed by Anna Riley, Windermere: “An unassuming entry quietly shepherds the Eastside's most magnificent lifestyle canvas, available to the market for the first time in over 70 years. A unique blend of rich history & poetic splendor converge at this 1900's period garden estate, extensively remodeled in 07. The property includes 3.54acres encompassing enchanting grounds & 465 frontage ft of prized Lake Washington shoreline. The privacy, scale & quality of the waterfront are unrivaled; a lakeside oasis for generations of enjoyment.”

This mansion is a 2012 listing for $9.3 million. From the listing by Larry Williams, John L. Scott “Passage to Phuket. Never has a destination felt so right. Designed to be your own atoll, a hideaway. Dictate the pace and the mood on your terms. 185' of Lk Washington waterfront. Stunning 10,000 sq ft home on ¾ acre encompasses views, presents a selection of individualistic destinations. Full guest house. Orchestrated grounds. Few can truly grasp its grandness from the water. Meditation for the soul, whether wakeboarding on the Lake, laps in the pool house, or chilling in the meditation room.” It is owned by Michelle Mathews. Michelle “Mich” Mathews was the former Sr. VP for Microsoft’s Central Marketing Group. She was a key spokesperson for the company and was often quoted in the media. This property is on page 163.
(Updated 7/23/12)