501 NE 9th Street, Coupeville, Washington.
The John Gould residence, on three oversized lots in the heart of downtown.
Originally built by John Gould in 1894, when Coupeville was Whidbey Island's most prominent port. Three generations later, the bay windows still hold the same light. The ceilings still soar. The detailing is still original.
"A rare piece of Whidbey Island history in the heart of downtown Coupeville, blending timeless character with thoughtfully elevated modern living."
John Gould built this house in 1894, when Coupeville was the most prominent port on Whidbey Island and a Victorian was the shape a serious house took. The Italianate detailing was current then. It still reads as current now, which is the trick of architecture that was built to be permanent.
The bones have been preserved. The original detailing throughout. The soaring ceilings. The bay windows that catch every hour of daylight from sunrise over the cove to long July evenings that don't end until ten. Where modern living asked for an update, the update was made with restraint. Stunningly updated bathrooms. Fresh interior paint. Nothing that fights with what was already here.
The result is a residence that feels lived-in and considered at the same time. The kind of house a Whidbey family keeps for forty years and then hands to the next family carefully.
An unusually generous footprint for the heart of downtown. Lawn, garden, and breathing room. Most of Coupeville's historic homes sit on a single lot.
Mouldings, trim, doors, and millwork that a 1990s renovation would have torn out. Here, kept and refinished.
Modern fixtures and finishes, sized and detailed to belong inside an 1894 envelope. The update is invisible from the wrong angle, intentional from the right one.
Front Street's shops, the wharf, Penn Cove Taproom, the historic schoolhouse. All within five minutes of the porch.
One of the small number of Italianate Victorians remaining on Whidbey Island. The proportions, bay windows, and bracket detailing are textbook for the style.
0.48 acres of contiguous land in the downtown Coupeville historic district. A footprint most period homes here can only dream of.
Tall rooms on both main floors. Bay windows on three exposures. Natural light from sunrise across Penn Cove to long Pacific Northwest evenings.
Modern fixtures, period-aware detailing. The kind of update that improves daily life without arguing with the house's heritage.
Six parking spaces in total. Unusual flexibility for the historic core of a small island town. Workshop, studio, storage. Choose your verb.
Front Street, the wharf, the cove's mussel beds, the historic schoolhouse, the bakery. All within a few minutes of the front porch.
Adjust down payment, interest, and term. This is an estimate. Taxes and insurance are excluded. Talk to your lender for a real number.
Coupeville is the second-oldest town in Washington State. The wharf still juts into Penn Cove the way it did when the mussel boats brought it national fame. Front Street's storefronts are mostly the originals.
From the porch: five minutes to the wharf, ten minutes to the ferry that crosses to Port Townsend, twenty-five minutes to NAS Whidbey. Seattle is a ferry-plus-drive away, which is the right distance.
Schedule a private walk-through with Konni Smith or Oliver Grimm of Windermere Whidbey Island. They'll meet you at the porch.