Edith Macefield’s small house is still up and strong, despite all the efforts to crumble it down.

Edith Macefield died in 2008 but her story is still making headlines. Edith did something amazing and she entered history as the old lady who rejected one million. Developers planned to construct a shopping mall, and Edith’s home was an obstacle. The lady was offered one million dollars to relocate her home.

She turned it down. The house was small but Edith loved every inch of it.

Building the mall around Edith’s house

Other homeowners were compensated for leaving their homes. Edith stayed inside her home, watching big condos, bakeries, and supermarkets springing around it.

Developers changed their drawings and added Edith’s two-story home to the plans.

Edith secured the future of her tiny house

A couple of years before her death, Edith became friends with Barry Martin. He was a construction chief who worked at the site. The old lady wasn’t a fan of development, and Barry was all about constructing skyscrapers.

Martin took care of Edith and her will. When the cute lady was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he took her to the hospital and back to her home every time she needed help.

Edith died at 86 and willer her small house to Barry. Was her home inspiration for the 2009 movie, “Up”? The production of the movie began a couple of years before, but Carl, the main character, and Edith share similar stories. Carl had a similar experience and flew away in his balloon-powered home. That’s why a lot of colorful balloons pop on top of Edith’s small house.

The remodeling of the Edith Macefield’s house

Barry Martin turned the house into a memorial for the old lady. However, his plans didn’t work. The house was put up for an auction. Cor Company won it and planned to remodel the house, converting it into a coffee and pastry shop.

But, the costs were too high and there was so much to be done. Edith’s home was foreclosed a few years later due to $300,000 owed in lien taxes. An investment management company got the house but selling it wasn’t even possible. No one would pay the costs. Edith’s home was about to be destroyed.

OPAL community to the rescue

In 2015, OPAL Community Land Trust tried to protect Edith’s home. They set up a crowdfunding page to raise money and clear the debts. Edith’s house was about to be moved to Orcas Island, Washington, but OPAL couldn’t raise enough money.

The small house is still strong, scratching the belly of the tall building. A housing report from April 2018, reveals that the Macefield house hasn’t backed down.

Source: www.thestranger.com