Seattle's floating homes community began as a population of unregulated and inexpensive industrial houses in the late 1800s, yet it has evolved to become some of the most sought-after real estate in Seattle today. Little has been shared about this intimate and unique community that is characterized by eclectic architecture, diverse individuals, and a strong sense of community. It is hard to imagine Seattle without its floating homes, but there was a period of time when the community was considered undesirable and was almost driven from the city shores. This book explores the community history of floating homes in Seattle, tales from life on the dock, and the ongoing challenges of being a fringe neighborhood in the urban context of the city.

The New York Times bestselling author of Always imagines life on Boat Street, a floating community on Seattle’s Lake Union, home to people of artistic spirit who for decades protect the dark secret of one startling night in 1959. Fleeing an East Coast life marred by tragedy, Ada Santorini takes up residence on houseboat number seven on Boat Street in search of inspiration and new opportunities. When she discovers a trunk left behind by Penny Wentworth, a young newlywed who lived on the boat half a century earlier, she is immediately drawn into this long lost story. Ever-curious, Ada longs to know her predecessor’s fate, but does not suspect that Penny’s mysterious past and her own clouded future are destined to converge...

The houseboats along the shores of Lake Union in Seattle, Washington are an iconic emblem of the city's character and popular image. However, tensions between the houseboaters and the City of Seattle, as well as with moorage owners, presented an existential crisis. Pollution, zoning, and monopoly market conditions gravely jeopardized the community. Urban renewal, catalyzed by the 1949 Housing Act, advocated for the destruction of underperforming "blighted" neighborhoods to allow the redevelopment of urban cores throughout the United States. While preservationists defended historic and diverse neighborhoods, urban renewal had long-lasting implications for how Seattle's urbanites envisioned the future. The Equity Ordinance attempted to block arbitrary rent increases for houseboat moorages as restrictions on houseboat space tightened the hold of moorage owners on their tenants. Despite efforts by the Floating Homes Association (FHA) to safeguard the community, the community eventually succumbed to market influences. Cooperative ownership shifted affluent moorage renters into owners, creating an economic threshold at which some houseboaters were displaced. Spanning from 1957 to 1993, this thesis argues that the houseboats of Seattle's Lake Union underwent gentrification due to urban renewal mandates and yielding to market-driven solutions.

Prepare to be wowed, amused, and inspired as you visit over 100 houseboats, inside and out. Architect Kathy Shaffer follows her bliss and explores the floating legacy of her Sausalito home. With an eye toward the artistic, Shaffer carefully documents the architectural evolution of this houseboat community. Learn the geography of the area, the developers who helped shape it, the history of the marinas, and the amazing evolution of houseboat design and construction. This book also reflects the lives of people who choose to constrain their home to a hundred square feet or so, and how they've engineered their surroundings to their spatial restrictions. This book is a celebration of the refreshing, inspiring forms created in the free-thinking spirit of houseboat architecture. It is a must-have for all who love architecture, handmade houses, and inspiring homes.

Shantyboat is the story of a leisurely journey down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers to New Orleans. For most people such a journey is the stuff that dreams are made of, but for Harlan and Anna Hubbard, it became a cherished reality. In their small river craft, the Hubbards became one with the flowing river and its changing weathers. This book mirrors a life that is simple and independent, strenuous at times, but joyous, with leisure for painting and music, for observation and contemplation.