The controversy surrounding First United Methodist Church will heat up again with the release of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement related to the new, 35-story development proposed for the historic church site. This is tentatively scheduled for early January (2004). The building is now threatened by demolition, made possible by a State Supreme Court ruling in 1996 against the City of Seattle's Landmarks Board who approved the nomination for the building's designation in February of 1985.

The ruling sided with the church in its claim that landmark designation impeded its First Amendment right to practice religion freely by restricting its ability to generate income to support its mission. The ruling also coincided with the end of an era for landmark designations for historic religious properties in this city.

But this January, Seattle's Landmarks Preservation Board will review a nomination for Mount Baker Park Presbyterian Church, gladly supported by the congregation. It's been 18 years since the last designation of a historic religious property in Seattle.

The nomination is a product of Historic Seattle's Sacred Sites Initiative that grew out of lessons learned from the Nisqually Earthquake.

History Recognized and Protected

A congregant from Mount Baker Park Presbyterian approached Historic Seattle after the Nisqually Earthquake in hopes of receiving a grant from our Earthquake Relief Program - a joint venture with the City of Seattle's Office of Economic Development. Given the limited amount of funds we had to spread among many property owners of damaged buildings, the program was restricted to designated City of Seattle landmarks.

Within the congregation, there was no doubt the building was historic. But this wasn't official, which posed a temporary disqualification from the earthquake relief funds. Would the church concede to a landmark nomination? Misperceptions of the restrictions of landmark designation kept the church from nominating itself prior to the earthquake, but the grant and more information -- provided by Historic Seattle and Rector Paul Collins from Trinity Episcopal Church -- helped the church feel comfortable with the process.

The rest is history. The draft nomination was prepared in advance of the grant program's close, and has been edited and will be reviewed at the January 21, 2004 Landmarks Preservation Board meeting.

Seattle's Landmark Churches, Synagogues and other Religious Places

Who's on the short list of designated religious properties in Seattle? A great collection of buildings, congregations, and a few adaptive reuse projects that demonstrate the religious buildings can be "born again" if the historic use no longer fits the needs of the congregation.

These include:

St. Spiridon Russian Orthodox Cathedral, 400 Yale Avenue, designated 12-20-1976

Trinity Perish Episcopal Church, 609 8th Avenue, designated 12-20-1976

Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral, 1714 13th Avenue, designated 12-20-1976

Seattle Buddist Church, 1427 South Main Street, designated 12-27-1976

Capitol Hill Methodist Church, 128 16th Avenue East, designated 1-10-1977 (adapted to offices)

Immaculate Conception Church, 820 18th Avenue, designated 1-10-1977

First Church of Christ Scientist, 1519 East Denny Way, designated 1-17-1977

Epiphany Chapel, 3719 East Denny Way, designated 10-23-1978

P.P. Ferry House/Old Deanery of Saint Mark's Cathedral, 1531 10th Avenue East, designated 5-14-1979

Old Forest Ridge Convent and Site, 1617 Interlake Drive East, designated 7-17-1979 (now serves at the Seattle Hebrew Academy, another recipient of Historic Seattle's earthquake relief funds).

Saint Joseph's Church, 732 18th Ave. designated 1979

Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1215 Thomas Street, designated 3-02-1981

Church of the Blessed Sacrament and Rectory, 5041 9th Avenue NE, designated 3-2-1981

Seattle First Baptist Church, 1121 Harvard Avenue, designated 12-28-81

Bikur Cholem Congregation, 104 17th Avenue South, designated 12-28-1981 (adaptively reused, and now serves as the Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Center)

Beacon Hill First Baptist Church, 1607 South Forest Street, designated 12-28-1981

University Methodist Episcopal Church and Parsonage, 4142 Brooklyn Avenue, designated 12-28-1981

New Age Christian Church, 1763 NW 62nd, designated 12-28-1981

St. James Cathedral, Rectory and Site, 9th Avenue & Marion Street, designated 3-12-1984

First African Methodist Episcopal Church, 1522 14th Avenue, designated 9-24-1984

University Presbyterian Church "Inn" 4555 16th Avenue NE, designated 12-24-1984

Bethany Presbyterian Church, 1818 Queen Anne Avenue North, designated 4-21-1986

New Recruit

Mount Baker Park Presbyterian's example is hugely important to the stewardship of historic religious properties in Seattle. The Landmarks Board meeting is open to anyone, and will begin at 3:30. All Landmarks Preservation Board meetings take place on the 10th floor of the Arctic Building, located at 700 Third Avenue. The meeting will include a slide presentation on the history of the church, which is rich and inspiring.

All are invited and encouraged to attend.

If you would like to help with Historic Seattle's Sacred Sites Initiative, please contact me, Heather MacIntosh at 622-6952 extension 226 or email at advocacy@historicseattle.org. We are completing an inventory of historic religious properties to aid in planning for the new phase of the project and can use researchers. To donate funds to the Sacred Sites Initiative, contact Barbara Flynn, Historic Seattle's Director of Fund Development, at 622-6952 extension 225, or email at barbara@historicseattle.org.

View last month's Pending Landmarks article

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