In 1900, James Moore purchased nearly 200 acres of land and platted it into lots. Before selling the lots, he installed streets, sidewalks, streetlights, water, and sewer lines, paving the way for his nickname “the father of Capital Hill”. He began construction on his own home in 1901 and completed in 1903. This area would soon become known as “Millionaire’s Row” as it’s still called today. James Moore’s estate is one of the few remaining buildings designed by the Seattle architect W. D. Kimball.

After a fire in the 1970s, the home was rebuilt in the 1980s. With the assistance of the Moore family, the owners obtained valuable information to reconstruct the mansion with the original architectural style in mind. The house was altered from a brick base home to a wooden structure and earthquake strapping and steel corner brackets were installed. The first 2 floors were completely reframed and attached to the brick with over 300 anchors and the house was replumbed and rewired at that time. The penthouse was added in the 1980s as well. The third floor was substantially remodeled and updated in 2010. Roof over penthouse and exterior staircase to penthouse deck were rebuilt in 2018.

The commercial grade kitchen is a famed place of gathering, having hosted local events and displayed Bon Marche latest lines of home furnishings.