Ballard Denny's to Face Demolition Despite Landmark Status

It was just two months ago that the city's Landmarks Preservation Board made a controversial ruling that declared the old Denny's in Ballard a local historic landmark. For those two months, the old building has sat empty behind chain link fences, gaining layers of graffiti and gathering dust. Just this Sunday, Seattlest was driving past the abandoned building when our good friend and passenger asked, "So what are they going to do with that old Denny's anyways?" We just shrugged and shook our heads.

Turns out it wasn't just Seattlest and friends who were perplexed what business would possibly choose to inhabit the old Denny's building. The very same Landmark Preservation Board that sought to protect the building just two months ago, voted yesterday unanimously to allow the property's new owner, the Benaroya Company, to demolish the existing structure. The board cited the financial loss to Benaroya, saying that the historic and taxable value of the Denny's building was negligible in comparison to Benaroya's $12.5 million investment.

While Seattlest admits to feeling initially sentimental about the loss of the building, we'd rather a structure be utilized there than the ghost of Moons Over My Hammy past haunting the corner.

Photo Courtesy of Seattlest Flickr Contributor Viv