Seattle, Washington story
A Floating Legacy
Most houses are built on soil, but the Wagner Houseboat was designed for the water. Originally built around 1909 as a summer home on Lake Washington, this vessel is one of Seattle…
Read the story
Most houses are built on soil, but the Wagner Houseboat was designed for the water. Originally built around 1909 as a summer home on Lake Washington, this vessel is one of Seattle's oldest surviving houseboats. Its engineering has allowed it to endure for over a century, eventually moving to Lake Union where it became the home of the Center for Wooden Boats.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it's a testament to the enduring design of early 20th-century floating architecture that continues to drift gracefully through the city.
Updated June 2026