A home central to Mercer Island’s past has been saved for a future family.
Island developer JayMarc Homes bought the lot at 2740 West Mercer Way. Instead of tearing down the existing four-story residence, known as the ‘Castle House’ or ‘Symphony House,’ they decided to maintain the architectural integrity of the building but add some modern touches, including a new kitchen, more bathrooms and a two-car garage.
“We tried to take a 1910 home and modernize it, but keep it as classic as possible,” said Marc Rousso, co-president of JayMarc with fellow Islander Jay Mezistrano.
This is the first time JayMarc has renovated an existing home, instead of building a new one.
“We wanted it to be something special for Mercer Island,” Rousso said.
The 6,000-square-foot wood-and-stucco home, offered for $2.3 million, is the oldest grand home on the Island, said Jane Meyer Brahm, author of “Mercer Island History: From Haunted Wilderness to Coveted Community.”
Built in 1910 by James K. Car for the D.B. McMahons, it has been a vicarage, a French preschool and a hair salon, and had an unusual water tower on the grounds as well. In 1995, the home was chosen as the 18th Seattle Symphony Designer Show House, hence the name.
The original woodwork and windows remain, as well as an attic that serves as a large playroom with sloped walls and hidden cupboards. But some features are gone: an oddly sized pool in the basement was filled in and stenciled ceilings from its show house days were painted over.
When it was built, the home was a manor house run by servants. It didn’t have a bathroom on the main floor or a kitchen, though there was a small cookhouse just outside. There were also two staircases — one for the family and one for the servants — but JayMarc’s in-house designers decided to convert the stairwell space into two bathrooms.
The ‘Symphony’ home’s historic design will be mirrored in two brand-new houses to be built on the south side of the subdivided lot: the ‘Mozart’ and the ‘Chopin.’
Islanders have been concerned about shortplatting and in-fill development causing the loss of historical homes, but JayMarc wanted to be the “ambassador” for the ‘Symphony’ house.
The original house was waterfront property before the level of Lake Washington was lowered. It was purposely built just 100 yards up the road from Calkins Landing for easy access to the ferry landing, Brahm said, though it was constructed just two years after the Calkins Hotel burned down in 1908.
A general store, the East Seattle School and the Emmanuel Episcopal Church were just across the road from the house.
Brahm said that if the hotel had survived and if Highway 10 hadn’t been built where Interstate 90 exists today, that area may have become “downtown Mercer Island” instead of the current Town Center.
Tours for the public will be open from Nov. 7 through Nov. 22 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The home will simultaneously be listed for sale in the MLS.
JayMarc is asking anyone who is interested in touring the home to bring a non-perishable food item to donate to the Mercer Island Food Pantry.
The ‘Symphony’ House, originally built in 1910, will be open to tour from Nov. 7-22.
The upstairs bathroom features original black-and-white tiling and a claw foot tub.
The living room on the main floor experienced minimal renovations as JayMac restored the historic home and tried to stay true to its original character. Construction took more than seven months.
The kitchen was one of the few rooms to be completely updated.
