Sacred Sites
Most of Seattle's historic sacred sites mark a specific era in our city's development from a frontier town to a mature urban metropolis. When constructed in the first decades of the twentieth century, these places of worship formed the center of our neighborhoods, were central to community involvement in civic affairs, and were home to many neighborhood events both religious and secular.
First United Methodist Church postcard, 1915/Historic Seattle archives
The popularity of sacred sites and their influence on local government coincided with a sharp population boom in the early 1900s. During this period, Seattle's sacred sites reflected the city's general ethnic homogeneity. Though black and Asian populations grew steadily in Seattle before World War II, most Seattleites had British or Northern European roots, and the majority of worshipers within this group were Protestant. Seattle's Protestant churches saw a sharp rise in number between 1900 and 1915.
The socioeconomic shift from 1910 to 1920 was highly significant as it directly parallels the rising political influence of Seattle neighborhoods. Though the Seattle area was still one of the "least-churched" parts of the country, and prostitution, alcohol consumption, and other sin-based industries were still popular at this time, moral reformers within the city's growing middle class pushed for the wholesale adoption of Christian values. These ideas shaped local politics into the 1930s. Denizens of Seattle's red light district were quickly outnumbered by new arrivals. The acrimonious public debate between "pleasure seekers" and organizations supporting righteous living hit a fever pitch in 1919, with the ratification of the Constitutional amendment prohibiting the manufacture, purchase and sale of alcohol.
In the first decades of the twentieth century in Seattle, organized religion two effective and charismatic leaders who advocated for the moral order of the middle class, and helped promote the idea of a progressive, civic-minded church to officials in city government. Mark Matthews, pastor of the largest Presbyterian church in the country, was strongly identified as the most influential pastor in the city. In 1925 another local Presbyterian minister, William Major, said "the church and the school have the contract to put religion and education at the front and make men live at their best."
First Church of Christ, Scientist, Capitol Hill/ Historic Seattle archives
Between 1920 and 1940, pockets of population near the central business district, such as in Belltown, First Hill, the Denny Regrade area, and parts of the International and Central Districts dropped while neighborhoods to the north and south, such as Green Lake and Mount Baker, saw increases of 50 to 100%. The number of local churches stopped growing in the mid-1920s. The establishment of sacred sites tended to follow neighborhood development. Population and economic shifts, and increasing land values downtown intensified the neighborhood identity of most places of worship.
Today's religious buildings still play a fundamental role in their communities by defining local history. In addition to their religious contribution, they are an important source of the community's architectural and artistic heritage, and provide vital space for many local social services. Yet these historic buildings are increasingly vulnerable to deterioration and loss. The continuing shift of people and wealth to the suburbs, the shortage of priests in Catholic parishes, and decades of deferred maintenance are all factors that sometimes spells doom for historic houses of worship.
Religious buildings can be sensitively adapted for other uses, whether for cultural facilities, community centers, commercial space, residential use or other. The National Trust for Historic Preservation and Partners for Sacred Places are working together to show models for reusing houses of worship after their religious use is discontinued. Historic religious properties have influenced and shaped our lives for centuries. We cannot abandon them now, as they face demolition and loss.
Seattle's success stories for the adaptive reuse of sacred sites includes:
Langston Hughes Center for the Performing Arts, 104 17th Avenue S
Langston Hughes Center/ Historic Seattle archives
University Presbyterian Church "Inn", 4555 ‑ 16th Avenue NE
Adaptive re-use in process at these Seattle sacred sites:
First United Methodist Church, Fifth and Marion streets
First United Methodist Church with proposed office tower/ Courtesy Nitze-Stagen
First Church of Christ Scientist, 1519 E. Denny Way
Seattle sacred sites which have been protected against demolition or insensitive alteration with a City landmark designation:
Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1215 Thomas Street
Seattle First Baptist Church, 1121 Harvard Avenue
Trinity Parish Episcopal Church, 609 8th Avenue
Trinity Parish Episcopal Church/ Courtesy Dale Lang
Capitol Hill United Methodist Church, 128 16th Avenue E.
First Church of Christ Scientist, 1519 E. Denny Way
First African Methodist Episcopal Church, 1522 14th Avenue
St. Joseph's Church, 732 18th Avenue E
Bethany Presbyterian Church, 1818 Queen Anne Avenue N.
Beacon Hill First Baptist Church, 1607 S. Forest Street
Langston Hughes Center for the Performing Arts, 104 17th Avenue S
University Presbyterian Church "Inn", 4555 ‑ 16th Avenue NE
Immaculate Conception Church, 820 18th Avenue
Seattle Buddhist Church, 1427 S. Main Street
Mount Baker Park Presbyterian Church, 3201 Hunter Boulevard S.
Mount Baker Park Presbyterian Church/ Historic Seattle archives
Church of the Blessed Sacrament and Rectory, 5041 Ninth Avenue NE
University Methodist Episcopal Church and Parsonage, 4142 Brooklyn Avenue NE
New Age Christian Church, 1763 NW 62nd Street
Fauntleroy Community Church, 9260 California Avenue SW
Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1215 Thomas Street
St. Spiridon Russian Orthodox Cathedral, 400 Yale Avenue N
St. James Cathedral, Rectory & Site, 9th Ave. and Marion Street
St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral, 1714 13th Avenue
Fort Lawton Chapel, 3801 W. Government Way
Epiphany Chapel, 3719 E. Denny Way
Hebrew Academy/Old Forest Ridge Convent and Site, 1617 Interlake Drive E.
Saving Sacred Sites Toolkit:
Where Do We Start?
Checklist for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings (National Park Service, Technical Preservation Services)
Why Are Our Houses of Worship Special?
Architectural Character: Identifying the Visual Aspects of Historic Buildings as an Aid to Preserving their Character (National Park Service, Technical Preservation Services, Preservation Brief 17)
Who Can Help?
Ecclesiastical Specialties (Traditional Building, November-December 2003)
Funding Sources
Save America’s Treasures Funding (National Park Service)
Financial Assistance Programs (National Trust for Historic Preservation)
Financing Your Spiritual Home(Unitarian Universalist Association)
Regulatory Issues
National Historic Preservation Act: Section 106 Regulations Summary and Flow Chart (Advisory Council on Historic Preservation)
City of Seattle Historic Preservation Program
Financial Incentives
Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives (National Park Service, Technical Preservation Services)
Suggestions for further reading:
Religious properties
Achilles, Rolf and Neal A. Vogel. Stained Glass in Houses of Worship. Washington, D.C.: The National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1993.
Cohen, Diane and A. Robert Jaeger. Sacred Places at Risk. Philadelphia: Partners for Sacred Places, 1998
Cohen, Diane and A. Robert Jaeger. Strategies for the Stewardship and Active Use of Older and Historic Religious Properties. Washington, D.C.: The National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1996.
Cohen, Diane, Holly Harrison Fiala, A. Robert Jaeger, and Anne Wenzel. Conservation of Urban Religious Properties. Washington, D.C.: The National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1989.
Goulet, Catherine. “Planning for Shared Space: Managing Older Religious Buildings for Community Use,” Inspired, Vol. VI, No. 4 and Vol. VII, No.1. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Historic Preservation Corporation, 1992.
Stiles, Elaine B. A Guide to Preserving Historic Unitarian Universalist Churches. Development Department of the Unitarian Universalist Association.(26 Apr. 2004).
Fundraising
Breiteneicher, Joe, and Bob Hohler. Quest for Funds Revisited: A Fund-Raising Starter Kit. Washington, D.C.: The National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1993.
Dean, Peggy Powell and Susanna A. Jones. The Complete Guide to Capital Campaigns for Historic Churches and Synagogues. Philadelphia: Partners for Sacred Places, 1991.
Rubman, Kerri. Successful Fund-Raising Activities for Preservation Organizations.
Washington D.C.: The National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1998.
Basics
Beasley, Ellen. Using Professional Consultants in Preservation. Washington, D.C.: The National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2000.
Weaver, Liz and Byrd Wood. Basic Preservation Procedures. Washington, D.C.: The National Trust for Historic Preservation, 2000.
Useful links
National Trust for Historic Preservation
Partners for Sacred Places
Rev. Dennis Andersen on Seattle's sacred sites:
Rev. Dennis Andersen/ Photo: Marissa Natkin.
In parish ministry, we tend to look at buildings first as liabilities, in terms of electrical failure or plumbing leaks. We need to think about longer-term solutions, to move from seeing buildings as liabilities to seeing them as additional offerings to the community. We’ve done major rehab to our church and made it a concert site so a building that was used once a week on Sunday mornings is now used seven days a week. As a result, the congregation recommitted to making their ministries more effective and opening themselves to the community.
In the midst of changing neighborhoods, Partners for Sacred Places materials have helped us to ask the question, “What is out there that the community wants and needs that is being held back by the walls of the church and how can those things be welcomed in and maybe blended in new ways to form new ministries and new self understandings for both the congregation and the community?”
In mainline denominations, we are very self conscious about monumentality both in terms of an architectural presence and what may be perceived, in a time when a vocal part of the religious community is perceived as radical, we don’t want to be too obvious any longer. We especially don’t want to be identified with issues of conspicuous consumption: The heating bills this winter are going to say a lot to the community about our use of resources.
I think nonprofits don’t have to necessarily be unprofitable when we allow our spaces to be used. We can develop partnerships within the community to help us with those energy costs. Most nonprofits right now are very happy to have adequate space. In the Seattle area, where available nonprofit space is at a premium for musical groups, social groups, clinics and school groups, they are willing to step up if the terms of partnerships are well defined.
Integrative kind of thinking — theological, practical and mission-driven — is what will be needed along with a new voice in the church so that historic preservation isn’t confused with nostalgia. All too often we become identified with those who are resistant to change.
[Rev. Dennis A. Andersen is Pastor of Bethany Lutheran Church in Seattle's Green Lake neighborhood. He serves as Ecumenical Representative of the Northwest Washington Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is president of the national Lutheran Ecumenical Representative Network. His strong interests in historic preservation and architectural history have been expressed through his seven-year service on the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board (including three years as chairperson) and his essays and editorial contributions to Shaping Seattle Architecture (University of Washington Press, 1994). For six years he served on the Historical Commission for the Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle. He is a member of Partners for Sacred Places (Philadelphia).]
