Ward House, Victorian house in Washington, US

Ward House is a two-story wood-frame house in Seattle's Capitol Hill, moved to the corner of E. Denny Way and Belmont Avenue E. in 1986. Carpenter George W. Ward built it in 1882 in a Victorian carpenter Gothic style, which Victor Steinbrueck described in 1962 as "fanciful" and "apparently sound." It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a City of Seattle landmark.

Carpenter and real estate speculator George W. Ward and his wife Louise Van Doren Ward built the house in 1882 at Pike Street and Boren Avenue. The Wards moved out around 1897, and it became a boarding house. In 1906 it was moved 60 feet south and rotated 90 degrees to face Boren Avenue. Vacant and deteriorating by 1974, it was donated to Historic Seattle and sold to lawyer David Leen for $7,500, who moved it to E. Denny Way and Belmont Avenue E. on April 6, 1986.

The Wards, who came from Ottawa, Illinois, in 1871, helped establish Seattle's Japanese Baptist mission and ran it for 26 years: Louise as teacher and secretary, George as superintendent of its night school. The house later served as a boarding house and as an annex to the Crest Hotel.

The Ward House can be viewed from the street without any special access, and walking slowly along the front gives the best view of the facade details. Visiting during daylight hours makes it easier to notice the wood carvings and window arrangements on the exterior.

The house has moved twice: in 1906 it was shifted 60 feet south and rotated 90 degrees to face Boren Avenue, and on April 6, 1986, lawyer David Leen relocated it from First Hill to the corner of E. Denny Way and Belmont Avenue E. It was wedged between two apartment buildings and served as an annex to the Crest Hotel.