These humble gable structures wrapped in tar paper have been around ever since I moved to the Fremont neighborhood in 1982. I don’t mean to demean the place by calling it the Tar Paper Shack; I actually admire the simplicity of the gable forms and how they manage to fit into the tight corner site in a rather graceful manner.

I don’t know much about their history or story, nor anything about who might be living there. Nevertheless, I am sure those driving along Leary Avenue NW where it turns into NW 36th Street will recognize it, and maybe even miss it if it is ever replaced.