Ballard Denny's site spared from demolition: It's a landmark

The pointy-topped Ballard building that formerly housed Manning's Cafeteria and then a Denny's restaurant may have no identifiable architectural style, but it's a landmark that should not be demolished, the Seattle Landmark Preservation Board decided Wednesday evening.

· At Large in Ballard: Peggy Sturdivant's take on the landmark ruling

"I do associate it with the neighborhood, personally, and I think a lot of other people do, too," board member Tom Veith told a room packed with more than 70 people at the end of a hearing on the nomination.

Most other board members also singled out the building's significance as a neighborhood landmark at the corner of 15th Avenue Northwest and Northwest Market Street, rather than a notable work of architecture, and the board voted 6-3 in favor of designation, which blocks demolition.

John McCullough, the lawyer representing the building's owners, expressed disappointment at Wednesday's decision.

"We think it's a victory of sentimentality over the laws under which this board is supposed to operate," he said.

The next step will be for the board to consider specific controls and preservation incentives for the building. McCullough said that process would include an examination of the economic viability of preservation and he was confident the owners could show preservation would not be viable.

Architect Ralph Allen of Grace Architects argued preservation could be viable, presenting a plan that would include the restaurant and about the same amount of development, while relying on rezoning to increase the maximum height from 65 feet in some parts of the site and 85 in others to 85 and 125 feet, respectively.

"While this does carry some inherent risk, we are convinced that the outcome will be positive and that our proposal for additional height is well suited to this site's location at the front door of the Ballard community," Allen wrote in his proposal.

McCullough dismissed the plan as unrealistic.

"I think it is highly unlikely you would be able to attain a 125-foot rezone on that particular site," he said.

A partnership led by the Benaroya Co. owns the building and has a deal to sell to developer Rhapsody Partners, which applied to replace it with an eight-story building containing retail space and more than 260 homes. The building started in 1964 as Manning's Cafeteria and then was a Denny's from 1984 until September.

Benaroya nominated the building for landmark status only to head off nomination later on. But others supported the nomination, arguing for the importance of the building as a neighborhood icon, and of Manning's Cafeteria, the building's architect and the Googie architectural style to which many said it adheres.

Googie architecture got its name from a Sunset Strip coffee shop designed in 1949, and was notable for flamboyant elements designed to attract passing motorists.

At Wednesday's hearing, McCullough called experts who said the building's architect was not notable, the building was not an exceptional example of his work, it was not Googie style, it had been substantially altered and it had significantly deteriorated.

Larry Johnson, the Seattle architect who prepared the nomination for the owners, said the building was a mix of styles best described as "Scandigooginesian," for Scandinavian, Googie and Polynesian influences.

A city staff report recommended against designation, saying alterations had taken away the building's ability to convey its significance as required by city law.

"The board's decision must be made on the current physical appearance of the subject building and not its potential restoration," staff member Beth Chave told the board.

During a public comment period, architect Arlan Collins agreed. "There's nothing left to save," he said.

But the designation drew support from most speakers, including architects, architectural historians, a representative of the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation and city residents.

"Downtown Ballard has been defined by this building for many decades," Ballard resident Pandora Touart said.

Seattle resident Anne Forestieri went further, saying: "Its distinctive architecture is unlike any other in the city and region."