A year ago today a demolition crew was tearing down the old Denny's restaurant at 15th Avenue and Market Street in Ballard. (See a video and related story.)

I happened to be in the area the previous day and did a quick sketch. I didn't know that a few hours later the uniquely-shaped 1950s structure was going to be history. Many Ballard residents called for its preservation and it was even designated as historic landmark by the Seattle Landmark Preservation Board. But, at the end, developers won that battle.

June 23, 2008, 12:04 p.m. [Sketch location]

I also happened to be in Ballard yesterday and took a few minutes to do the sketch below, not aware that a year has come and gone until seeing the date on both drawings later. I was surprised to see that construction of the proposed condo building is not off the ground yet. A chain-link fence surrounds the big empty lot. It doesn't look very good. And it's unfortunate that a sign next to it points to "Historic Ballard" in the direction of the vacant space.

It's a shame that the old Denny's couldn't be preserved. Its architecture brought a spark of character to an otherwise uncharacteristic intersection.

June 23, 2009, 11 a.m. [Sketch location]