From Preservation Online, the online magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation

www.preservationonline.org

A Historic Denny's in Seattle?


Story by Jeesoo Park / Jan. 30, 2008

It may look like an ordinary fast-food restaurant, but fans of a Denny's restaurant in northwest Seattle want to make it a landmark.

Complete with a swooping roof, large glass windows, and a futuristic flair, this particular Denny's is characterized as Googie, a bold, post-World War II architectural style that first became popular in Los Angeles. Architect Clarence Mayhew designed the building in 1964 as a Manning's Cafeteria restaurant, which went out of business and became a Denny's in 1983. Although the structure is now boarded up, it remains one of Seattle's few remaining examples of Googie architecture.

Benaroya Companies, a real-estate development company that bought the structure in 2006 from the Seattle Monorail Project is currently in close negotiations with Rhapsody Partners, a Kirkland-based development firm that wants to construct a condominium tower on the site.

However, Rhapsody's condo plans have been temporarily sidetracked. Earlier this month, Benaroya nominated the Denny's for landmark status.

"Benaroya wanted to make sure that construction would not be stopped once it started, and this is a fairly common practice for developers: to nominate a site they feel will definitely be rejected as a landmark so that they can proceed, with 100 percent certainty, that the process will not be hindered," says Louie Richmond, a spokesperson for Rhapsody who is working closely with Benaroya

Unexpectedly, however, the city is actually considering the nomination.

This potential designation is causing tension in the Seattle neighborhood known as Ballard. Some residents that the 44-year old building is not old enough to be considered a historically significant landmark. They also find the unusual architecture inconsistent with the increasingly trendy neighborhood.

"There are a lot of sentimental citizens who think enough is enough already with the changes, and their stance is a mainly an anti-growth position," Richmond says. "They don't want to see the old Ballard they remember to disappear. Then there are preservationists who say it's about preserving a great example of Googie architecture, and that the landmark decision is based on architecture rather than economics. It's a complicated situation."

A meeting to discuss the future of the building is scheduled for Feb. 20.

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