The History of Sanders Mansion
Swedish immigrant Erick Sanders, a successful business and lumberman in Seattle and on Bainbridge Island, built this elaborate Craftsman house for himself and his wife Sara. Sanders and several partners purchased 660 acres of farmland in the Green River Valley west of Kent as an investment. On this land, they built the Standard Dairy, the Standard Mill, and Sanders' country home. Constructed with lumber from the mill, the house features glass salvaged from the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition and bricks left over from the construction of the West Valley Highway.
Most of the original features that made the Sanders Mansion such a unique and modern home in 1912 have been maintained or restored. Erick Sanders salvaged the stained glass windows, which grace the twin entryways from a temporary building at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle.
Some of its fir trim and framework are believed to have been cut in the sawmill adjacent to the house. The bricks used in the columns of the massive porch were culled rejects from the supply for the West Valley Highway Project. Most of the original light fixtures are still in use and the bathroom fixtures are all originals, including the unusual wrap around shower in the upstairs bath.
The mansion was to be the Sanders' retirement home, equipped with every modern convenience. They planted small decorative cedar trees and a monkey tree in the front yard that faced the pond. There was an unobstructed view of the valley farmlands below and of Mt. Rainier to the southeast. A circular drive surrounded the mansion, and a carriage house and barn nestled nearby. The tiny town of Thomas lay down the road to the east, just over a mile away.
Most of the original features that made the Sanders Mansion such a unique and modern home in 1912 have been maintained or restored. Erick Sanders salvaged the stained glass windows, which grace the twin entryways from a temporary building at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle.
Some of its fir trim and framework are believed to have been cut in the sawmill adjacent to the house. The bricks used in the columns of the massive porch were culled rejects from the supply for the West Valley Highway Project. Most of the original light fixtures are still in use and the bathroom fixtures are all originals, including the unusual wrap around shower in the upstairs bath.
The mansion was to be the Sanders' retirement home, equipped with every modern convenience. They planted small decorative cedar trees and a monkey tree in the front yard that faced the pond. There was an unobstructed view of the valley farmlands below and of Mt. Rainier to the southeast. A circular drive surrounded the mansion, and a carriage house and barn nestled nearby. The tiny town of Thomas lay down the road to the east, just over a mile away.