NORTHWEST LIVING
By David Berger | Photographed by Benjamin Benschneider
Top Of The Town
From the Market to the museum, city pleasures are theirs for the taking
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 BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER / THE SEATTLE TIMES Cheerful, straightforward patterns and colors brighten the family room, which overlooks the city. The English oak table, circa 1850, was purchased in Maine and shipped to Seattle.
BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER / THE SEATTLE TIMES Ann Ramsay-Jenkins’ office does double duty as a guest room. The painting is by Maine artist Sarah Knock. Ann was born in the Pine Tree State and still feels a strong connection. “What I did was bring Maine to the Northwest,” she says.
BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER / THE SEATTLE TIMES Camels, bells and pagoda shades? Why not? A little whimsy brings some fun into the couple’s home.
BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER / THE SEATTLE TIMES The open kitchen looks out to Elliott Bay behind the shutters. The monkey-figurine chandeliers make the island a focal point.
BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER / THE SEATTLE TIMES Contemporary art and Asian furniture share this corner of the living room. The painting is by Northwest artist John Gary Brown. “People talk about collectibles,” says Ann. “What you want is something with significance to you.” |
LIVING BY THE water and in the middle of the city to boot, that's the best of both worlds. Or so says Bill Jenkins and Ann Ramsay-Jenkins. Their ninth-floor condominium looks out to sparkling Elliott Bay and the distant mountains. Their in-city location puts them virtually atop the bustling Pike Place Market.
Their downtown condo was originally a pied à terre for their salty Bainbridge Island house; Bill, former chairman of Seafirst Bank and a hometown boy from Everett, has been a devoted boater for most of his life, and Ann is a child of Maine, where the couple also have a house on the water. But they found they were spending more and more time in the city, for the pleasure of walking to the symphony, art museum and theater, and for work. (Ann is co-founder and vice president of the Washington Education Foundation.) The couple thought they needed more space in town.
Ann had always told their neighbor to let them know if they wanted to sell. When that situation arose a few years ago they bought the adjoining condo, broke down some walls and connected the two units to give them a spacious 2,200 square feet. Over nearly two years they transformed one kitchen into a generous living room with windows facing west and south, letting in washes of dancing light. The other was opened up to create a kitchen/family room. A wide hall connects them; their small master bedroom is in between.
They chose light neutral colors for the walls and created an uncluttered, clean look to complement the view and natural light. Floors — so important in establishing an overall tone — are white pickled hardwood throughout.
Besides the public rooms, Bill has his own office, as does Ann. There's also a nook for her personal assistant and a utility closet that Bill jokes was the real reason for the expansion.
Bill Jenkins and Ann Ramsay-Jenkins are loving their life downtown. They explain:
On being downtown: "It's the best," says Ann. "On any given afternoon, we go to the Pike Place Market, pick the fish, the salad. I don't know that we would live here without the Market."
On condos: There are drawbacks, they admit. "We have had two floods," says Bill. "There was water under the tile on the outside terrace, and it ruined all the interior floors. Then the upstairs neighbor had a leak, which came into the bedroom."
On the view: "It's great at night as well," says Ann. "The lights. I love the purplish Showbox music club neon sign."
Favorite quality of the condo: "Its airiness, its lightness," says Ann. "It feels good even in a rainstorm in winter."
The additional space allows them to entertain more expansively, though with a twist. "We bring up a table from storage and set it up in the living room for entertaining, and also use the kitchen/family room, so we can accommodate a dozen guests," laughs Ann. The double room setup provides some flexibility as well. "Sometimes we switch rooms for a course," Ann says.
Their taste in furniture and collectibles is eclectic — a blend of antique wood furniture, Asian artifacts and New England that recalls an East Coast seafaring tradition. It's a mix not at all dissimilar to the ostensibly classic "Northwest" sensibility.
While sensibilities are readily hybridized, Bill and Ann discovered that structurally remodeling a condo is not so easy. Front doors and hallways must stay in place, and kitchens and bathrooms can't be bullied around, because the wires and plumbing are interconnected with other units. They managed to create a fluid floor plan, but some curiosities refused to go away. Like the 18-foot corridor to the unused front door of the second unit.
"One day on Bainbridge Island I saw wrought-iron pickets on sale at Bad Blanch's. And I thought, I'll make a garden in the corridor," recalls Ann. She had the hallway painted with sunflowers and morning glories, installed the pickets against the wall and an Italian wrought-iron gate in the entry, and hung the hallway with pictures of family and friends. Now it's a lighthearted corridor that fits the condo's sunny disposition.
Ann and Bill's home will be one of 10 featured at the Market Foundation's tour of downtown apartments and condos next Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. The tour benefits the Market Foundation, which provides social services and supports public-improvement programs at the Market.
Tickets ($20 in advance, $25 on event day) are available online through www.pikeplacemarket.org or through event coordinator Erica Sweet, 206-774-5254.
David Berger is a Seattle freelance writer. He can be reached at dab20@aol.com. Benjamin Benschneider is a Pacific Northwest magazine staff photographer.
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