Guest Column: Restoration and Community Involvement of Frederick Head House

— from Scott McKay —

Frederick Head House, circa 1889, photo courtesy Scott McKay

As many of you may know, I am the owner of the wonderful old Frederick Head House (1889) that is situated at the east end of Crescent Beach To support our ongoing restoration efforts, this past weekend my daughter and I cleared out an old barn (to be used as a workshop) and had a lawn sale of various items found therein. As we told all customers, all proceeds will be used for direct purchases of building materials and professional labor for restoration. Our goal is to return the house to the same condition it was when the attached photo was taken, in 1889.

Sarah and I were overwhelmed at the outpouring of community support for our restoration efforts. Everyone loves the old house and wants to see it preserved. We are delighted at how the community has responded.

While the property will always be privately owned, we believe, strongly, that the old house is an island icon and that its historic features must be managed and stewarded for the benefit of the entire community.

Our purpose in contacting you is to gauge whether the community has at least preliminary interest in exploring a possible partnership with us that could support both restoration and appropriate public use.

We ask this: Is it possible to create a balance between private ownership and public use that could work for the long term benefit of everyone?

One idea Sarah and I have is that the house and its large back lawns (which overlook Ship Bay) could be used on specified dates during the year by non-profit community organizations for their own purposes, e.g., for fundraising events such as catered auctions, dinners, string quartet performances etc. Such an arrangement would allow the community to be invested as a partner in preserving the historical values of the property, yet at the same time accommodate our long term goal of returning the property to its historic use as a small (and environmentally compatible) private farm.

Obviously, this is a VERY complex issue that will require extensive long term study and discussion. For now at least, we think the logical place to start is to simply give the community tours of the house and property, so that it can assess for itself what potential exists. As I believe everyone who has seen the property will attest, the house and grounds speak loudly for themselves. There are amazing opportunities.

If any of you are interested in accepting our invitation for a tour, please email Sarah at (sarahevelyn12@yahoo.com) as to dates that might work for you so that we can arrange the best date(s) for group tours. Please note that while we are quite flexible, we will be unavailable for the entire week commencing July 28.

A Brief History of the House.: The house was built in 1889 by Frederick and Beatrice Head, English Citizens who, along with Reverend Gray, were founding members of the Episcopalian Church in Eastsound. The house was designed by a noted architect of that era, Elmer Fisher, who designed various important buildings in Seattle following the great Seattle Fire, including the Pioneer Building (in Pioneer Square). During its heyday, the property was a working fruit farm that employed five full-time farmhands. Many of the old farm implements and tools are still on the property, and in due time will be donated to the Orcas Museum.

Thanks to all for considering this!

Scott and Sarah McKay (206) 992-5466