My Ballard

Unlike the now departed Denny’s building, there hasn’t been an outpouring of support to designate the doomed Sunset Bowl as a historic landmark.

But as is customary — which we learned from the Denny’s debacle — the new owners of Sunset Bowl filed a nomination with the city’s Landmarks Preservation Board as a preemptive move to make sure there wouldn’t be any last minute challenges. And the board ruled that Sunset is not historic, reports the Ballard News Tribune. But one board member pointed out that the nomination was brought before the board after the bowling alley’s interior was dismantled and auctioned off, diminishing any potential historic value. Sunset Bowl will be demolished any day now to make room for luxury apartments.

Demolition crews leveled the old Denny’s landmark in June to make room for a condo-retail complex called “Market Street Landing,” which is still working its way through the design review process.

Meanwhile, two other buildings remain on the property at the corner of 15th and Market St. Some of you have asked us when they’ll be demolished, so we called the development company, Rhapsody Partners, for an update. They told us the current timeline has the demolition scheduled for sometime in the first or second quarter of next year (January to June).

In the meantime, the buildings attract the occasional graffiti scrawl, despite the chain-link fence that surrounds the lot. Photo courtesy of OhNobody.

A couple weeks ago, we posted the possible design of the new development going into 15th and Market, the plot of land that some refer to as the “gateway to Ballard.” Some readers said the generic-looking development doesn’t reflect the uniqueness of Ballard. While I was in Fremont this weekend, I took a photo of that neighborhood’s “gateway” — a relatively new development that was controversial when it was built, but has a little Fremont flair.

Does it look like Fremont? Could the same be done in Ballard? Does it matter?

Sustainable Ballard is holding a bike rack design contest, and the winner will be announced during the Ballard Seafood Fest later this month. Take a look at this entry. “This rack design serves to enshrine the memory of an old Googie icon in the new Ballard,” writes Crosscut’s Knute Berger. “Suggested location: 15th Avenue Northwest and Northwest Market Street.”

Update: That didn’t last long. Now the sign is gone.

Benaroya Companies has not distributed their current design for the 15th and Market development because it has yet to be approved, but late last year Rhapsody Partners — the developers for the Denny’s site — proposed this design to the Northwest Design Review Board:

Called “Market Street Landing,” it’s a mixture of condos and retail, but it did not impress the board. “I don’t see Ballard there at all,” said one board member. It’s unclear if this same design — or something close to it — is in the cards now. My Ballard received an anonymous email with this same design from the “Coalition to Replace Ugly Buildings with Uglier Buildings” — not a real coalition, we imagine, but a joking email to make a point.

Now that the Denny’s has been demolished, Benaroya Companies will dismiss its lawsuit against the city’s Landmarks Board, reports Crosscut’s Knute Berger. No surprise there. Meanwhile, a Seattle PI reporter standing in front of the demolished Denny’s says she “couldn’t find one happy passerby,” and she discovered this plastic bag attached to the fence.

Her unofficial survey, of course, doesn’t represent some of the views expressed over the last few days in comments on My Ballard, the Seattle PI and other blogs, as well. (Thanks Kristjan for sending us a photo of the sign!)

Also: Another “Flee Ballard” bumper sticker sighting.

Now that the old Denny’s building is gone, what are Benaroya’s plans for the new development? We asked for a sketch of the upcoming condo project, but we’re told it has yet to be finalized. So we looked at last year’s land use application which described “an eight story structure with 261 residential units above 32,307 sq. ft. of retail space. Parking for 437 vehicles to be provided at ground level and below grade.” As soon as a sketch is made available, we’ll post it here. Meanwhile, it looks like Benaroya won’t be incorporating the original roof of the old Mannings Cafeteria as some had hoped — the video that Ben shot shows it being demolished with the rest of the building. Writes Ballard Gossip Girl, “I hope they think about the importance of this gateway piece of land they now will develop, and not provide us with another beige box.”

We shot some video of the demolition here. And My Ballard reader Ben shot this video clip of the bulldozer tearing off the last piece of the swooping roof (takes a moment to load), and Kelly sent us these photos below… (thanks Ben and Kelly!)

Update: It’s interesting to see all the Twittering about the demolition in our new Ballard Twitter page (which is still in beta).

First on My Ballard:  At 7 a.m. sharp and without any advance warning, a bulldozer went to work on the Ballard Denny’s, just days after the city issued Benaroya Companies a permit to demolish the landmark.

We arrived at 7:30 a.m., and crews had already taken down the sloped roof — the most distinguishing feature of the old Manning’s Cafeteria building at the corner of Market St. and 15th Ave.

A worker sprayed water on the building while the bulldozer methodically tore down the building, piece by piece. Construction workers walked around the perimeter of the fence to ensure nobody tried to get too close to the action.

TV photographers began to appear along with the occasional onlooker, but it was far from the media circus that Benaroya’s PR company sought to avoid. Commuters on their way to work were surprised by the rubble heap, and we heard a horn honk every few minutes.

The demolition went surprisingly fast, and by 8:15 p.m., all but a final section of the building remained. All that’s left is the clean-up work.

Our thanks to Nina and Silver who both emailed us with the news this morning. We quickly sent out a Ballard news alert (you can sign up here) and raced to the scene. Click here to watch video.

Last month: City board votes to allow demolition of Denny’s landmark

As expected, the city has approved Benaroya Companies’ request to demolish the old Denny’s building at the corner of 15th and Market. No date has been set, and it’s unlikely that Benaroya will give any advance notice. This is also the case with Sunset Bowl, which is awaiting demolition. (If you see workers beginning to demolish either building, please email us at tips@myballard.com so we can shoot video and photos.)

Last month: Board votes to demolish Denny’s landmark

As we first reported last night, the old Manning’s Cafeteria and Denny’s building on 15th and Market will soon be demolished after the Seattle Landmarks and Preservation Board ruled it’s not financially feasible for the owners to preserve it. Here is some of the media coverage out this morning:

Seattle Times: Board gives owner OK to tear down Ballard Denny’s
Crosscut: The case of the doomed diner
Seattle PI: Landmark status can’t preserve Ballard Denny’s
KING 5: Ballard’s old Denny’s headed for demolition

As always, let us know your reactions in comments. And you can also try out our new forum section, where you can create your own discussions.

First on My Ballard: The Seattle Landmarks and Preservation Board voted unanimously tonight that there’s no economically-feasible solution to preserve the old Denny’s in Ballard. The attorney representing the developer, John McCullough, said they are “reactivating” the approval process for their planned development, which will result in the demolition of the Denny’s.

“It’s a very sad situation,” said board chair Stephen Lee (in foreground). “It’s a bad situation to be in.” Lee said it’s the first time in his memory the board has designated a building a landmark and then not voted for controls and incentives — the next step in the landmarking process. While the old Manning’s Cafeteria remains a landmark, the developer is not restricted from demolishing it. “It breaks my heart,” said board member Christine Howard.

McCullough presented the board with 12 different options for the property. The scenario that came closest was a high-end restaurant on the site with no parking, but it still fell short, losing just over $1 million. Other scenarios looked at office, retail and even bringing Denny’s back to the building (see below). “We never even got to zero,” McCullough said.

Following the board’s staff recommendation, no one on the board disagreed with Benaroya Company’s analysis. “Nothing works,” said board member Alyce Conti, who ran the numbers on multiple scenarios. “No lender is going to lend… these people will not be able to get a loan.”

The board agreed that an outside proposal to raise the height limit on the property — which would require a change in the city zoning ordinance — was risky and should not be part of their evaluation. Conti said that even with the rezone, the property would not be economically feasible.

“We have nothing to be ashamed of,” said preservationist and Ballard resident Eugenia Woo after the vote. “We put up a great fight.” Board chair Stephen Lee — who rallied the board to preserve the Denny’s three months ago — refused to talk to the media and was overheard telling someone, “I need a drink.”

McCullough did not give a timeline for the demolition, as the permit process has not yet begun. As always, stay tuned to My Ballard for updates on this story.

Update at 6:20 p.m. Benaroya Company’s presentation is now underway.

5:45 p.m. We’re waiting for the Denny’s item to come up on the agenda here at the Seattle Landmarks and Preservation Board meeting. We have at least 30 minutes to go, if not more. Stay tuned…

As we wrote below, the issue is whether the Ballard Denny’s is economically viable. If the board rules that it’s not, the landmark designation may be reversed and the building demolished.

A memo from two Seattle Landmarks and Preservation Board staff members concludes there’s no financially feasible solution for keeping the Denny’s building, reports Knute Berger in Crosscut. “In their memo to the board, Gordon and Chave say they have met with the owner at least four times and are convinced that there is no scenario in which the ‘character defining features’ of the building can be preserved without ‘compromising their ability to realize a reasonable return on their investment,’” Berger writes. As we wrote yesterday, the board will hear Benaroya Company’s case today (Wednesday). You might remember, the board went against the staff’s recommendations when it designated the building a landmark three months ago, so the memo is no indication of how the board will vote to proceed.

We’ll attend the meeting and post the latest updates here on My Ballard. According to the agenda, the item could come up as late as 5:30 p.m.

Update: Now the Seattle PI is on the story.

This Wednesday, the Benaroya Company will make another appearance before Seattle’s Landmarks Preservation Board, this time to make the case that there’s no financially viable solution to rehabilitate the old Denny’s building. Three months ago, the board designated the building as a landmark, but it could reverse the designation if Benaroya is able to prove that there’s no financially-acceptable future for the old Manning’s Cafeteria. Meanwhile, preservationists say that building could be incorporated into a larger development (you may remember that Grace Architects proposed an alternative, but it would require a zoning change.) This Wednesday’s meeting is at 3:30 p.m. in Room 4060 of the Seattle Municipal Tower, 700 5th Avenue.

By the way, if you’re interested in learning more about Googie architecture, California architecture critic Alan Hess will be speaking this Tuesday, 6:30 pm at the Swedish Cultural Center (1920 Dexter Ave. N). Tickets are $10.