Is Denny's building a landmark?

Rhapsody Partners, the development firm that wants to tear down a Ballard Denny's Restaurant to build a six-to-eight story condominium, plans to nominate the 1960's building for landmark status.

"We want to make sure that things are going the way they are supposed to go," said Katie Vance, a partner with the Kirkland-based developer.

A well-known Bay Area architect, Clarence Mayhew, designed the building at 15th Avenue Northwest and Northwest Market Street. It was built in 1964 as a Manning's Cafeteria, a local family-owned chain that has since gone out of business.

Often referred to as a long-time hangout for "old Ballard," the style of the building, with its curled A-frame roof, is a post World War II architecture style called "Googie." It is reminiscent of the roadside style first popular in the Los Angeles area, with bold angles and sweeping cantilevered roofs.

Since anyone can nominate a building for conservation 25 years or older with Seattle's Landmark Preservation Board, it's common for developers to do so first in order to save time and money, said Sarah Sodt, landmark coordinator for downtown.

"They want to know whether it will be designated or not as soon as possible," Sodt said. "It gives them the ability to start planning for the future depending on the (board's) determination."

Nominating the building is a way to remove all "incumbrances" on the project and avoid costly delays if construction had to stop for any reason, said Louie Richmond, a spokesman for Rhapsody.

"That's what every developer wants to avoid," said Richmond, chief executive officer of Richmond Public Relations. "When (the developer) starts to build they want to make sure they can proceded in a judicious way."

In some cases, if a building is more than 50 years old or there's a significant public interest in preserving the site, a standard environmental review can force a landmark nomination. A failed nomination can't be appealed for at least five years, except by the owner.

Scott Kemp, the city's land use planner for the project, said he hasn't received any comments from the public asking that the site be preserved.

"People seem to be more used to change than they used to be," Kemp said.

The project has also been criticized by a nearby developer and community members for not being walkable enough, but Richmond said Rhapsody is "very interested in making it pedestrian and neighborhood friendly."

"The design is not final...it goes through many, many changes," he said.

The site was purchased from the failed Seattle Monorail Project, which planned to build a station there for the 14-mile elevated line.

Bob Derry, former staff member for the Seattle Monorail, said all the properties purchased by the organization were studied for landmark status, including the Denny's building. The "cafeteria with a funny roof" was found to have no historical, archeological or indigenous significance, he said.

Rhapsody first hired Seattle historian and author Mildred Andrews to research the building further, but ended her contract after she submitted her preliminary report. Andrews wasn't willing to disclose her findings just yet, but said, "It's a very interesting building."

Preservation architect Larry Johnson is now consulting with Rhapsody's architects and will write the landmark nomination. His goal is to "stick to facts, not conjecture," Johnson said. "There's no room for speculation."

Johnson, a former chair of the Ballard Avenue Landmark Board, was also hesitant to reveal any of his findings about the building while under contract with the developers.

"My job is to report the facts," he said. "My opinion only enters in when I write a landmark nomination."

Richmond said Rhapsody is somewhat confident the site will not pass a nomination.

"Rhapsody feels the site indeed is not a landmark," he said. "What they want to do is vastly improve the lot."

Johnson is concerned that nominating a building for historic status has become the new way to fight unwanted development.

"I think all these fights - we're reacting to change, such rapid change," he said.

The city's all-volunteer landmark board already has its hands full with considering the designation of 38 downtown buildings, he said, and their time shouldn't be used inefficiently.

"We're scraping the bottom of the barell (sometimes)," Johnson said. "We can't keep everything and we shouldn't be throwing everything out either."

Rebekah Schilperoort may be reached at 783.1244 or rebekahs@robinsonnews.com