The Yellow House was probably originally built for the local shipyard proprietor or a sea captain. The back of the house faces east and, even better, faces the harbor. Shortly after the rental arrangement commenced, a shed-roofed dormer was installed in the harbor-facing roof slope, and a flat-roofed kitchen wing was also added. Several scientists occupied the house, namely Francoise Falcoz-Kelly, and later Joseph Sambrook and his family. In 1976, Yellow House was modernized and restructured as a single-family dwelling.