Demolition permit issued for Denny's building in Ballard

The City of Seattle has issued a demolition permit for the former Ballard Denny's, thereby allowing the property owner to move forward with plans to replace the structure with condos.

Last month, the city's Landmarks Preservation Board effectively gave clearance to tear down the building on what arguably is Ballard's gateway intersection: 15th Avenue Northwest and Northwest Market Street. The board previously had declared the building a landmark but then ruled that preserving it resulted in an irrevocable financial hardship on the owner, the Benaroya Co.

The city once had plans to tear down the building for a station serving the ill-fated Seattle Monorail Project. The Benaroya Co. purchased it as surplus for $12.5 million with the idea of tearing it down.

A coalition of Ballard residents, along with aficionados of midcentury "Googie" architecture, had fought to preserve the boarded-up restaurant, which was built in 1964 as a Manning's Cafeteria.

A timeline for the demolition is not yet known.