Seattle, Washington story
A Floating Home's Journey
Some houses are built to stay put, but the Wagner Houseboat was built to move. Born around 1909 as a summer home on Lake Washington near Madison Park, this vessel is one of the ol…
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Some houses are built to stay put, but the Wagner Houseboat was built to move. Born around 1909 as a summer home on Lake Washington near Madison Park, this vessel is one of the oldest surviving houseboats in the city. In the 1950s, Richard Wagner bought the home and eventually moved it to Lake Union.
He and his wife, Colleen, didn't just live here; they used the house as the starting point to found the Center for Wooden Boats in 1968. Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Wagner House serves as a reminder of Seattle's deep maritime connection and the entrepreneurial spirit of the people who lived on the water. It's a piece of floating history anchored right in the heart of South Lake Union.
Updated June 2026