The uniquely flamboyant clarinetist from Greece, Nicholas Oeconomacos, graced the streets of Seattle with his clarinet playing. Although receiving accolades from Seattle Symphony conductor Homer Hadley and John Philip Sousa after having played under both, he returned to Seattle during the Great Depression to play for change on the streets. He also played under two fluted columns in the garden next to his ornate Cascade neighborhood home.
This 1945 photograph illustrates the unique style and ornate additions on Oeconomacos’ home, located at 1175 E. Roy Street. After his death in 1945, his niece made the mistake of telling reporters that she could not find the $1,500 that her uncle had told her he had stashed in the house. For several months afterwards the house was regularly ransacked after dark by those searching for the hidden treasure.
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