Iconic ‘Spite House’ hits market for $1.2m

Iconic ‘Spite House’ hits market for $1.2m. Picture: Realtor; Google Maps

An iconic “Spite House” in the US has hit the market again for $US799,000 ($A1.2 million), exactly 100 years after it was built.

Best known as the “Montlake Spite House”, the wedge-shaped home was constructed in the Seattle neighbourhood in 1925.

The two-bedroom residence, which measures just 55 inches across at its slimmest point, has become a local legend.

According to multiple reports, the property was allegedly built by its original owner in an act of vengeance against a neighbour amid a furious land dispute

Legend has it, a woman created the home seeking revenge against her ex-husband, Realtor reports.

After she and her spouse split, she was awarded a tiny 3,090 square foot parcel of their shared property in the divorce settlement — on which she decided to build a petite home in a bid to “block his view in the front yard,” according to the home’s owner, Emily Cangie.

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Seattle’s infamous “Montlake Spite House” has been put back on the market for $US799,000, exactly 100 years after it was built. Picture: Realtor

As the legend goes, the home — which is shaped like a wedge and measures just 55 inches across at its slimmest point — was constructed as a petty act of revenge. Picture: Realtor

The property looks much like a traditional home from the front and side. Picture: Realtor

The dwelling is understood to have been built on a tiny parcel of land by a woman seeking revenge on her former husband, who owned the home next-door. Picture: Realtor

Ms Cangie, who bought the home in 2019, according to records, opened up its doors in 2023 for a video tour with YouTuber Kirsten Dirksen, while sharing details about the property’s history.

“The story goes that she decided to build a house to block his view in the front yard,” Ms Cangie said, explaining that, at the time of her divorce, the woman was unable to “get her own loan in the U.S.”

So, having been left unable to buy her own property, she constructed the dwelling — which has since cemented its place in Seattle’s history books.

However, another version of the story suggests that the dwelling was actually built by a landowner who wanted to get revenge on a neighbour who made an “insultingly low” offer on the land where the home is located.

According to the home’s most recent owner, the property’s unique layout does not cause too many difficulties in day-to-day life. Picture: Realtor

The widest points have been used as the main living spaces. Picture: Realtor

Regardless, the property has earned quite the reputation over the years, having first been sold back in 1983 for $US50,000.

Today, the home is registered to an LLC under the name “Montlake Spite House;” however, records indicate that it has not been sold since Ms Cangie and her husband purchased it.

The dwelling has, however, undergone a serious makeover in recent years — one that saw its once-yellow exterior transformed to an elegant blue-grey hue.

Its listing description makes no attempt to hide the unique layout of the dwelling, joking that the property is “wedged” into the local neighbourhood — and noting its somewhat odd proportions.

“Wedged into Seattle’s historic Montlake neighbourhood, the Spanish Revival style Montlake Spite House is 15 feet wide on one side and just 55 inches on the other,” it reads.

The description then goes on to call attention to the many upgrades that have been made to the two-storey abode, including a “new roof, new paint, a new water heater, and an updated kitchen.”

“Bright main floor offers a living room, bedroom, bath, and kitchen,” it goes on. “The lower level has a family room, bedroom, laundry, bath, and separate entrance, ideal for guests, Airbnb, or an ADU.”

One of the two bedrooms in the property is open and airy — albeit with a pint-sized bathroom. Picture: Realtor

The lower level features a small space that has been converted into the second bedroom. Picture: Realtor

During her YouTube tour of the home, Ms Cangie insisted that the home’s peculiar shape did not cause too many difficulties, although she conceded that the areas in which the property narrows almost to a perfect point could be a bit harder to navigate.

“The bathroom is where the angles get weird … makes me think of bathrooms in New York,” she joked.

“I mean, compared to New York, [we’re] just grateful that there is not a toilet in [the] bedroom.”

Referring to the dwelling as her “little wedge of cheese,” Ms Cangie admitted that she was initially concerned living in the home would feel like she was residing in a “fishbowl,” but that the more intimate spaces are actually more cozy than claustrophobic.

She went on to compare the home to New York’s iconic Flatiron building, explaining that, despite having numerous owners over the years, the property’s structure has never been changed or expanded.

“Everybody’s kind of left it intact,” she noted. “As far as we know, this is the original footprint and it’s in great shape.”

Parts of this story first appeared in Realtor and was republished with permission.

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