Preparing for a New Home & a New Purpose—The Story of the Reard House: Part 2

This brings us to the current chapter in the Reard house story (read Part 1 here). The nineties was a decade of dramatic changes on the plateau. The area was still unincorporated King County and the county’s growth plan had designated the plateau as a high growth area. Microsoft and Boeing were both hiring and Californians were fleeing north to escape the ridiculous housing prices there. The county wanted a large portion of those people to live on the plateau. Old farms and horse ranches were bulldozed, along with century-old houses and barns, to make room for developments.

The house moldered behind its “No Trespassing” signs until 1996 when the Freeds sold the whole farmstead to John Buchan Homes to be developed as the Crossings at Pine Lake. The prospect of losing the oldest surviving house on the plateau prompted a group of preservation-minded residents to form a group dedicated to saving the house and the rest of the farmstead, which still included the original barn and several other outbuildings. In 1999, this group broadened its mission and became the Sammamish Heritage Society.

Ultimately, they could not save the entire property, but with the cooperation of the developer, the house itself was moved from its original location, near the current entrance to the Crossings, down to the edge of the neighborhood a hundred yards away.

The old farmhouse looks pretty forlorn today, sitting on cribbing with the windows boarded up, the roof covered by tarps, and missing the kitchen wing and the wide front porch. However, despite getting its last paint job in 1980 and suffering decades of neglect, the basic structure is sound. The floor has not warped and the old-growth beams are straight and solid.

Little appears to have changed since it was parked on its sliver of land, but behind the scenes, there has been considerable activity. In 2011 a delegation from the Sammamish Heritage Society made a presentation to the King County Landmarks Commission about the history, condition, and plans for the house. The Commission agreed that the house was worth saving and designated it as the first official historic structure in Sammamish. In keeping with the naming conventions of the Landmarks Commission, the house was officially named the Reard House in recognition of the original builder, rather than for the Freeds who were the last owners.

But the question remained: Where to put our new landmark?

Since it was moved to its temporary location, suggested uses for the house have ranged from making it a fully-restored museum to letting the fire department burn it down for practice. Two possible locations, the property beside the Water District HQ (since the house had served as the district's first headquarters) and the Commons, were both considered and rejected.

Shortly after the landmark designation, then-Sammamish Councilwoman Michele Petitti spoke with long-time plateau resident Mary Pigott about the need for a permanent location for the house. Ms. Pigott had already announced her intention to donate her property, fifty-one acres of land on the north side of SE 20th St, to the city for use as a park. She suggested moving the house to her property where it would be an attraction in the new park. The SHS is very enthusiastic about this plan. It would be near an existing 1910 farmhouse and placed in a natural setting laced with well-marked trails.

Now that the location has been decided, the level of activity around the house has risen dramatically. The combination of landmark status and a firm commitment for its location has made it possible for the Heritage Society to start raising money and signing papers for the move and to start restoration. At this point, we’ve raised over $65,000 through a combination of grants, donations, and fund raising activities. This will cover the costs of permits, construction of a new foundation, and the physical move by the Nickel Brothers (visit www.nickelbros.com to see how they’ve moved much more difficult structures than our little house). More grants are lined-up to start the restoration of the exterior, beginning with new windows and roof, after it’s on a new foundation.

The long-term plan for the house and surroundings is for the Reard House to be the centerpiece of a small “heritage area” that will include an existing farmhouse and one of the last Scandinavian saunas (in a separate outbuilding) in Sammamish. There will be outdoor Sammamish heritage exhibits of interest to kids and adults. Inside the house, several rooms on the main floor will be opened up to make a larger space for community functions similar to the Pine Lake Community Center (but smaller) and one room on the main floor will be museum space for the Heritage Society to display artifacts and photographs. The two upstairs rooms will be used by the Heritage Society as storage and office space. There is also an idea to set up the other farmhouse for overnight stays by children’s groups such as scouts or Y-guides. 

Before there can be a heritage area, we need to get the house over there. The actual move is scheduled for the morning of Sunday, June 3rd. The Nickel Brothers will lift the house onto a trailer and take it for a ninety minute ride up 212th Ave. SE and around the corner onto SE 20th St for half a block. The Sammamish Heritage Society hopes people will come out to watch what promises to be a memorable show.

Editor's note: Another way to get involved: A public meeting on the master plan for the "8th Street Park," where the Reard house will be located, is planned for this Wednesday, April 25, 2012, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at .