Obituary for the Clise House

Even when necessary, demolishing an old house is sad. This time, it is the 1904 Georgian Revival house built at 501 W. Highland Drive on a stone foundation.

Coming Down on May 27, 2026. Photo: QAHS.

A fire raged through the house on the early afternoon of November 30, 2021, while it underwent repairs. Most of the damage occurred in the roof. Apparently building three housing units on this spectacular view site has more value than restoring the burnt-out shell. As of late May 2026, permits call for dividing the lot east to west and adding two single family residences beside one another on 5th Ave W. Also, a detached accessory dwelling unit may share the southern yard.   

In its 2004 glory. Photo: Seattle Historical Sites. www.seattle.gov/don 

The now destroyed house was built for Harry R. and Ella Clise. Harry and his older brother JW arrived in Seattle in 1889 just after the fire that destroyed downtown Seattle. JW became a celebrated real estate mogul and assertive investor in early 20th C. Seattle businesses. Harry, who trained as a lawyer, is remembered as a champion of the publicly owned Cedar River reservoir and the pipes that still bring fresh water to Seattle. At the time he and Ella constructed the house, Harry had just founded Citizens Light and Power Company, which located its main plant off Smith Cove. Harry died in March of 1919, of a massive heart attack. Apparently, Ella left 501 W. Highland Drive soon after. By 1931, John W. Rumsey owned it. He lived there until 1940 when he moved next door into the massive Kerry house just to the east across 5th Ave W. I find it amusing that Rumsey caused a fire to the Kerry house in November 1938, as he readied it for a Halloween party which went on just the same. Much like the Clise House fire of 2021, the 1938 fire at the Kerry house largely damaged its third story.

Looking sw after the fire destroyed the roof. Photo: QAHS. December 2021.

So rich is the history of fires along the snazzy street at the crest of Queen Anne hill that since the 2021 fire, the Seattle Fire Department used the shell of the Clise House as a training site. As valuable as the training may have been, I hope they don’t find a replacement any time soon.   
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One myth suggests the brick veneer is an addition to the original clapboard house. More research may reveal the truth of this matter.