Townhouse Inside Old Church Boasts Its Own ‘Secret’ Whiskey Room

An incredible Washington townhouse with a divine history—and a very bright future—has hit the market in Seattle for $2.42 million, having been carefully constructed inside an old church building.

The 2,610-square-foot townhome is one of 12 units in the former Church of Christ Scientist in the city’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.

From the outside, the building, which was completed in 1908, maintains all of the extraordinary design hallmarks from its former life, including the original stained glass windows, a spectacular glass dome ceiling, and carved wooden doors.

Many of those features carry through to the interior, where marble floors lie under soaring ceilings, and delicate stained glass windows cast colorful reflections.

Those awe-inspiring details meet modern luxury throughout the building, but perhaps nowhere is that delicate balance represented in finer style than within the three-bedroom townhouse, which offers the perfect blend of old world luxury and modern-day exuberance.

Stained glass accents can be found in almost every room of the property, although some of them have been given new life as part of the townhome’s renovation.

“There’s a decent amount of stained glass. In the main dining room, you have really tall ceilings that have vertical stained glass panels that are actually on rollers, so you can open and close those,” explains listing agent Matthew Pelascini with Windermere Real Estate/East.

Concealed behind a hallway mirror is more stained glass in a “secret” room the current owners added—one that would have certainly been frowned upon by the church’s original occupants: a hidden whiskey room.

“I think that kind of hidden whiskey room is pretty amazing. That’s the first time I’ve ever seen anything like that. It’s truly like a little speakeasy within the residence,” Pelascini says, noting that to access the secret space, visitors need only push on the mirror, which then swings open to reveal an intimate entertaining space, complete with a bookcase and chairs.

That room, though one of many in the dwelling, perfectly represents the way in which the townhouse was designed to pay tribute to the church’s past—but also signal the start of its new chapter as a modern residence for those who seek the unexpected.

“You have a lot of these modern conveniences, these functional components of the property, but still being surrounded by this very fun, cool, iconic space,” the listing agent shared.

The fun begins right from the moment visitors set foot in the lobby, which features soaring ceilings with an incredible glass dome that fills the space with light during the day—but can also be enjoyed from within the townhouse.

“This home that’s for sale has one skylight, so when you’re lying in bed from the primary bedroom and you look up through that skylight, you look directly up at that stained glass dome,” Pelascini says.

“I believe [this home] feels like a livable work of art. It feels like a museum just given the architectural significance of everything. This is a pretty iconic building.

“I think what’s most impressive is just the integrity of the building, the scale of walking into that lobby and seeing this iconic dome and then going into this particular residence and seeing that kind of eclectic style transfer into this unit itself. It’s pretty special.”

The bones of the property date back around 125 years, having originally been completed in 1908 after a two-year build. It was converted into townhouses around 15 years ago.

The church received landmark status in 1977 and was in use until 2006 when the congregation moved to another location.

In addition to its whiskey room, the newly listed townhouse features three bedrooms and four total bathrooms, as well a very sleek, modern kitchen, and a formal dining space.

Among the more up-to-date elements are the two-car garage with an electric car charger, air conditioning, and bathroom and kitchen updates.

Pelascini says the buyer pool could be anyone looking for a home in one of Seattle’s historic neighborhoods and wants a showstopping and unique space.

“It’s somebody that wants something iconic that’s well known within the city and isn’t looking for a builder-grade townhome.”