Seattle, Washington story
A Floating Legacy
Some of Seattle's oldest homes don't have foundations; they have floats. Take the Wagner House, for example. This vessel began its life around 1909 as a summer home on Lake Washin…
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Some of Seattle's oldest homes don't have foundations; they have floats. Take the Wagner House, for example. This vessel began its life around 1909 as a summer home on Lake Washington near Madison Park.
Decades later, in the 1950s, Richard Wagner bought the houseboat and eventually moved it to Lake Union. Alongside his wife Colleen, Dick Wagner transformed the building into something more than a residence. In 1968, they founded the Center for Wooden Boats right here, turning the old boathouse into a sanctuary for maritime craft.
Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Wagner House serves as a reminder of a time when the city's relationship with the water was a way of life, not just a view from a window.
Updated June 2026