Evicted tree-dweller given RV
SEATTLE – A Seattle man who has spent the past two years living in a treehouse on city property has found a new home, thanks to neighbors who responded to a city eviction notice.
David “Squirrelman” Csaky, a self-taught carpenter, learned Tuesday that City Hall had granted him a 10-day reprieve from Monday’s 48-hour order to leave his self-made treehouse spanning three trees on an empty city lot in the Eastlake neighborhood. Then he found out that neighbors had found an aging recreational vehicle for him to occupy.
“I’m overwhelmed,” Csaky said. “I started crying when they told me.”
For two years, Csaky, 52, has lived about 30 feet above the ground in a 300-square-foot platform, accessible by a ladder counterweighted with sandbags on pulleys, on land beneath Interstate 5 owned by City Light and the municipal Transportation Department. His pets include Lucky, a rat; Rainbow, a ferret, and Tilt, an off-balance squirrel.
The treehouse has a sweeping view of Lake Union and Queen Anne Hill, some of the city’s pricier real estate. Using a block and tackle and cast-off materials, Csaky outfitted the treehouse with a tent, wood stove, three chairs, shelves and a counter with an unplumbed sink. For a time he had electricity that was temporarily donated by neighbors, as well as a television, heater and stereo.
City Light spokeswoman Suzanne Hartman said he was ordered to leave because the treehouse is a health and safety concern, adding that a bed in a shelter was waiting for Csaky if he wants one.
He doesn’t expect to need that option.
Brandon Ferrante, 28, and Maria Bolander, 27, who befriended him after watching the treehouse take shape, found an aging 22-foot Monaco RV on Craigslist after they learned of Csaky’s situation.
“It broke our hearts,” Ferrante said. “He’s taken care of the neighborhood. We couldn’t sleep at night. We decided to make it happen.”
They and their landlords, Janet Yoder and husband Robby Rudine, agreed to buy the rig for $500 after the owner offered a special “Squirrelman” discount.
“David’s a unique character but a good neighbor,” Yoder said.
After delivering the RV Tuesday evening, owner Timothy Custer decided instead to sell it to Csaky for a penny.
“It’s Dave’s new house,” Custer said.
To make the house a home, Ferrante said, the task is now to find a permanent parking place.
“We don’t want to see it get towed,” he said.
Neighbors said Csaky had helped keep crime down and the lot clean.
“He works hard,” said Jim Ross, owner of neighboring Ross Laboratories, who lent Csaky the block and tackle. “He’s kind of become the neighborhood watchdog.”
Csaky, who got his nickname for his ability to tame squirrels, said he was amazed at the public attention, including television and radio interviews and talk show appearances.
“This is the beginning of a new life,” he said.