Credit: Courtesy of Bob Henry How a young Black family fought John L. Scott and changed Seattle May 06, 2021 In 1959, at a dentistâs home in Seattle, a housekeeper was told to leave early. Her employers were hosting a neighborhood meeting that evening. As she left, she overheard their discussion: They were plotting ways to prevent a young Black doctor and his family from moving into the new Modernist house across the street. They had a secret weapon: real estate titan John L. Scott. W hen people move to Seattle, driving here on Interstate 90, they often describe magical joy as they whoosh across the floating bridge and through the Mount Baker tunnel, and read the words on the deck above, âSeattle, Portal to the Pacific.â