In January 2009, the restaurant suffered an electrical fire, leaving the interior and portions of the roof damaged. Temporary measures were taken to prevent additional damage from weather exposure, but the time frame for implementing major repair work needed to stabilize the building was uncertain. Compounding matters was the fact that the restaurant had been for sale for nearly a year prior to the January blaze.

In 2015, the property was purchased by Dennis Shilling and underwent a multi-year restoration with apartments in the upper floor and a restaurant once again on the main level. After 10 years as a Most Endangered Place, Alki Homestead opened its doors again in 2019. Mike and Victoria Easton, who own Il Corvo (“the crow”) in Pioneer Square in Seattle, have opened acclaimed restaurant Il Nido (“the nest”) within the historic building.

If you want to read more about the saga of the Alki Homestead, check out the 50+ articles from the West Seattle Blog.