A 121-year-old Queen Anne-style home at 3840 Linden Ave. N, also known as the Jacobsen House, was demolished last Thursday, making way for a new eight-unit townhouse development in the heart of Fremont.
The house, built in 1904 for the Jacobsen family, was designed by prominent Seattle architect Victor W. Voorhees and featured in his popular Western Home Builder planbook as Design No. 5. According to a Department of Neighborhoods historic survey, the property appeared to meet the criteria for landmark designation under the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance, though it was never formally designated.
The home retained many of its original features – cedar shingles, double-hung wooden windows and a distinctive polygonal bay window – but had fallen into disrepair. The property sold for $1.35 million in October 2024.
The approved development will replace the house and a smaller cottage with two three-story structures containing eight townhouses and six parking stalls at the corner of Linden and North 39th Street, kitty-corner from B.F. Day Elementary School.
It’s always bittersweet to see a piece of neighborhood history come down, especially one that stood for more than a century. But given the home’s deteriorated condition and our city’s pressing need for housing, the new townhouses will bring more neighbors to a great location near schools, shops and transit. Here’s hoping the new development honors the character of the street while giving more folks a chance to call Fremont home.