Elderly 'Up' homeowner declines $1 million offer for home, so the mall was forced to build around it
Edith Macefield became a local hero by refusing to leave her house and forcing a big corporation to back down. In 2006, Macefield was approached by high-profile developers who wanted to buy her house to clear space for their mall in Seattle. While all of her neighbors accepted the offer, Macefield stood her ground and turned down nearly $1 million.
The “Up” house that wouldn’t go down
According to the Seattle Times , Macefield bought the property for $3,750 back in 1952. She lived at the home with her mother Alice, while working as a store manager at Spic ‘N’ Span Cleaners. Macefield was approached by the developers with an offer for the home which was then 108 years old. Of her 84 years at the time, she had spent 50 in this home.
While the home itself wasn’t worth much its value kept climbing as the developers got desperate for the space. However, Macefield didn’t budge even though the offer climbed to $750,000 and finally $1 million. This forced the developers to build the mall around her home with walls on three sides.