BRIDGEPORT, Wash. — "It's a dream place. There's a view from every window in this place. And there are a lot of windows. It has its own dock, you can go right down to the river fish or jump in a boat and take off,” said Mary Signorelli, a real estate agent based out of Chelan listing this unique property. "You can't really describe it adequately until you get there and actually see it for yourself."
That's because this luxury waterfront home...is a grain tower.
"This is the Flour Tower, [it] was an old grain mill that my father found in early 2000,” explained Lela Wright, who’s now the owner of this unique home in Bridgeport, Washington.
The tower is a landmark in this small town perched on the banks of the Columbia River. It was built in 1910 to store grain for shipping on the river.
Until trucking made it obsolete. It sat abandoned and empty for many years until Scott Wright discovered it.
"And he just fell in love with it and his line was, "It just spoke to me and said ‘can you save me?’” And he did,” said Lela, his daughter.
Scott Wright was 80 years old when he started transforming the tower into a 4 bedroom, 8 bath home.
"I pretty much figured he was crazy,” laughed Lela.
He worked equally hard at keeping its history intact. He recycled the wooden cribs that stored the grain, right down to the nails.
"He loved to show this part of the grain crib,” said Lela, showing a unique wall with nails still embedded in it in the home’s grand salon. “These are two by sixes, put flat on each other, held together with 16 penny nails. And even the kitchen countertop upstairs on the fourth floor is made out of the wood that came out of the grain cribs."
Grainery equipment gets a second life, Like the scale decorating the main room, complete with a receipt book documenting the tons of wheat that moved through this place.
A porthole in the stairwell shows how thick the tower's concrete walls are.
And there's a discovery around every corner.
"There's a tuba that's a chandelier,” said Lela, gesturing to the instrument with a light in its bell, hanging from the ceiling. "It was just one of his visions he had a very eclectic taste."
It's not all just whimsy - The Flour Tower has a wine cellar, and an elevator to help navigate all 5 stories. And plenty of places to sit back and enjoy the scenery. Plus, a corner half-bath on the 5th floor boasts a 180-degree view of the mighty Columbia River rolling along right outside. Lela says her father’s favorite thing to do was to sit in front of one of the Flour Tower’s many view windows and “Make sure the river was flowing in the right direction.”
Scott Wright's passion project is proof you're never too old to build your dream.
"It was all a labor of love. He had a vision and he worked on it rapidly,” Lela said.
Scott Wright passed away in 2023 but his legacy remains, standing tall on the banks of the Columbia. A piece of history that's also a home. A piece of history that’s currently on the market for $945,000.00. Ready to share views, and one-of-a-kind vibes, with a new owner.
"There's a ton of possibilities so it's hard to say but whoever gets it I want him to love it as much as he did,” Lela said.
KING 5's Evening celebrates the Northwest. Contact us: Facebook, Instagram, Email.