Mannings Cafeteria / Ballard Denny's

Address: 5501 15th Avenue NW
Date Built: 1964; demolished 2008
Original Architect/Builder: Clarence Mayhew
Description: Googie style restaurant building with defined by its prominent swooping roofline

Building History and Significance:

Manning’s Cafeteria, 1964 / Photo:King County Tax Assessor

Referred to as the “ Taj Mahal of Ballard” at the time of its completion, the Manning’s Cafeteria at the northwest corner of NW Market Street and 15th Avenue Northwest opened to customers in November 1964. A unique example of the exaggerated Googie architectural style, the building was first threatened with demolition in 1983 when the restaurant closed its doors. After several members of the community rallied to support the preserving the building, Denny’s leased the space.

 

Preservation Issue:

Manning’s Cafeteria / Denny’s c.2007 / Photo: Eugenia Woo

In 2006 the Benaroya Company acquired the property with the intention of demolishing the structure and facilitating the construction of high-density housing on the site, with Rhapsody Partners as the developer. Over 600 individuals from Seattle and beyond signed a petition opposing the proposal to demolish the building. On January 2, 2008, the Landmarks Preservation Board nominated the building as a Seattle Landmark and in February 2008 they voted to designate it as such. Interestingly, it was the proponents of redevelopment who submitted a landmark nomination for the building in hopes that the Board would find their application unsuitable for nomination, much less designation (see the Landmark Protection page for more about Seattle’s Landmark designation process). Three months after designating the building a Seattle Landmark, the Board changed course and voted to allow the former Manning’s Cafeteria to be demolished due to the financial hardship incurred by the owner.

Current Status:

Manning’s Cafeteria/Denny’s Demolition, June 2008 / Photo: Eugenia Woo.

The former Manning’s/Denny’s building was demolished on June 24, 2008, just five days after the City of Seattle issued a demolition permit for the property. Although the building had been designated a Seattle Landmark prior to its demolition, the Landmarks Preservation Board was required to take into account the potential economic hardship of designation. Under the threat of lawsuit, the Board voted to allow for the building’s demolition because an analysis suggested a reasonable economic return could not be made from the property if the building was preserved. To date, the vacant site has yet to be redeveloped and has become a major eyesore in the community. Residents and visitors alike are welcomed to the “Gateway to Ballard” by an enormous vacant lot surrounded by a chain link fence. A victim of the economy, the proposed redevelopment is in limbo.

 

 

 

Additional Information:

Alan Michelson Report to the Landmarks Preservation Board (PDF)

Seattle Landmark Nomination (PDF)

“Rubble is all that's left”
Ballard News-Tribune, June 30, 2008

“Gaga Over Googie?”
Preservation Magazine, May/June 2008

“Ballard landmark lawsuit will be dismissed”
Crosscut, June 25, 2008

“Demolition permit issued for Denny's building in Ballard”
Seattle Times, June 20, 2008

“The case of the doomed diner”
Crosscut , May 21, 2008

“Googie or not, it's a landmark”
Crosscut, February 20, 2008

“Another roadside attraction is about to be demolished.”
Crosscut , June 26, 2007

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