Don't block us in, say Queen Anne residents

Last year, when a stately, 90-year-old house across from one of the city's most famous viewpoints was demolished practically overnight, Queen Anne neighbors were flabbergasted.

Last month, history buffs hoping to save a 1927 apartment building next door to the demolished house lost a fight to have the apartments declared a city landmark.

Now, with construction cranes and porta-potties spreading among the historic homes and luxurious gardens around West Highland Drive, residents worried about the high-rise-ification of one of Seattle's grandest neighborhoods are trying something new.

They've asked the city to create a special review district, which would impose guidelines for construction and certain home renovations.

The idea, proponents say, is to chart a new middle ground: making sure the sprouting mansions and luxury condos blend into the neighborhood -- without subjecting homeowners to the restrictions of a full-fledged historic district.

"We were seeing that we were beginning to lose the very anatomy of our neighborhood ... " said Don Miles, an architect and resident who's been working on the review district. "But the mantra was, 'We don't want someone telling us what color to paint our house.' "

Demand for view homes has sparked a building boom in an area that's historically drawn some of the city's most influential residents, as homeowners and developers tear down 1950s ramblers and older homes on Queen Anne Hill's south slope.

The neighborhood's proposal, which the city is reviewing, would require Seattle's landmark-preservation board to approve significant new construction projects in the district, as well as some renovations or expansions visible from streets or public parks.

It includes guidelines to make sure new homes are of appropriate size and scale, don't block public views, use quality building materials and have front doors facing the street. High walls that obscure homes from the street would be discouraged, as would faux design elements, such as unusable shutters or balconies.

The proposal was modeled after rules governing the Harvard Belmont Landmark District on Capitol Hill's west slope -- the city's only historic district in an exclusively residential neighborhood.

Not everyone on Queen Anne was interested in that much government regulation, Miles said.

"We don't want to discourage people from investing in the neighborhood. But this says if you're developing in this district, you ought to be recognizing that it's special and building in a way that's compatible," Miles said.

Neighbors began talking after the demolition of the J.C. Black house early last year left many in shock. That 1914 home was designed by Seattle architect Andrew Willatsen, who worked in Frank Lloyd Wright's studio.

The new owner tore down the private home on West Highland Drive, which was not protected by any historic or landmark designation. But the J.C. Black house was a familiar fixture across from Kerry Park, which regularly draws tour buses and wedding parties with its iconic Seattle views of the Space Needle and Elliott Bay.

Today, the lot remains a hole in the ground surrounded by weeds and a chain-link Rent-a-Fence. A pre-development consultant for owner Ken Woolcott said this week that plans for the property were still being finalized but would likely include a four-unit, upscale condo project.

"Every time one of these things happens, it makes everyone more aware," said Bruce Jones, president of the Queen Anne Historical Society. "You realize that unless each of us comes forward to play a role in making sure the character of the community is kept, you have no one to blame."


		Mike Urban / P-I
	John Hennes, in Queen Anne's Kerry Park, holds a mirror reflecting the Space Needle as he stands in front of 1920s apartments slated to be torn down.

That loss sparked more interest in the debate over whether the 1927 Park View apartment building, which is also across the street from Kerry Park, should be granted landmark status.

In a 4-3 decision on March 16, the city's landmark board said no, paving the way for the Tudor Revival building to be torn down for luxury condos.

Residents have worried that the modest apartment building could be replaced by a super-sized condo complex that would be six stories tall and fill every inch of the lot, eliminating a green courtyard full of lavender and flowers.

"It's almost like part of the park. When it's gone, people will be like 'holy smokes,' " said John Hennes, a historical society board member who lobbied to save it. "There's no reason they can't do something nice there, but the problem is you just don't know what you're going to get."

Karen Freeman, whose aging parents and great-aunt own the apartment building, said maintaining and operating the building their family has owned for 50 years became too burdensome.

In deciding to sell the property with million-dollar views, Freeman said the family sought out a company with a track record of creating developments that are sensitive to the surrounding community, like Wallingford Center and Uwajimaya Village.

Lorig Associates, which is working with the family to purchase the property in the coming months, first considered restoring the building, as it did with the elegant Victoria condominiums next door, according to founder Bruce Lorig. But the structure was of average quality to begin with, he said, and decades of deterioration would make that impractical.

The company is just embarking on designs for the high-end condo project, but Lorig said he couldn't imagine being at odds with the neighborhood's proposed special-review guidelines.

"We've asked for their input," he said. "The opportunity on this particular site is to do a really first-class building, because you can afford to do it."

Seattle historic preservation officer Karen Gordon said she fields a lot of calls from people unhappy about development in their neighborhood. But it's rare for those concerns to coalesce into a viable proposal for a new historic or special-review district.

Gordon couldn't say how long it might take to decide on the Queen Anne request. But a recent inventory of historic resources in the neighborhood could help lay the groundwork, and residents have done the hard work of crafting a proposal that seems to have broad support, she said.

"They have the information the city would need to make some sort of thoughtful decision, and there also appears to be a consensus from the community," said Gordon. "The stars may have aligned."

More headlines and info from Queen Anne.