Seattle-First National Bank
Seattle-First National Bank (Walgreens) looking northwest
What was that all about?
In the first weeks of January of this year (2023), the Queen Anne Historical Society shared several Advocacy Alerts with its members and friends regarding the status of the landmarked Seattle-First National Bank Building (SFNB) at the northeast corner of Denny Way and 6th Ave. N.
In a collaboration with a team of dedicated preservationists, we successfully headed off a significant threat to Seattle’s preservation law. While SFNB reflects an important moment in Queen Anne architectural, social and banking history, the threat to city-wide preservation drove our passion.
The Law
For a building to be designated a Seattle City Landmark it must meet one of six criteria. SFNB met four and achieved designated status in 2006. Subsequent to designation a series of Controls and Incentives (C&I) are negotiated between the building owner and the city. The C&I can specify what parts of a building must remain as built. In exchange, the owner may be given tax breaks or other economic incentives for accepting the controls. The C&I must be approved by the City Council. In the case of the SFNB, housing advocates on the city council decided to oppose the C&I contending that the site was better suited to multi-family housing. Preservation advocates, including the Queen Anne Historical Society, worried that the rejection of the C&I would undercut the preservation process and set a dangerous precedent.
The Outcome of the January 2023 challenge
On Tuesday (January 10, 2023), Seattle City Council voted unanimously to approve an amendment to Council Bill 120312 acknowledging the designation of SFNB as a landmark and placing the C&I on its exterior and the portion of the site between the building and Denny Way. The canopy stretching to the northeast from the building to the sign tower and the tower itself lost designation protections.
This was the best attainable outcome for preservation advocates who (for the past month) have worked hard to urge City Council to respect the designation process and adopt controls and incentives for the building. Going into the January 10 meeting, we worried that no C&I would be adopted, thereby ignoring the city’s preservation process and leaving this Uptown landmark vulnerable to demolition.
The Queen Anne Historical Society is grateful to everyone who responded to our calls-to-action by contacting Councilmembers in support of preservation and sends a special shout out to Historic Seattle and West Seattle advocates! Our voices were heard!!
Seattle-First National Bank (Walgreens) looking southwest