December 22, 2022

Historic Seattle concerned for future of landmarked bank building

File photo from the city Department of Neighborhoods [enlarge]

The building is pictured prior to being purchased by Walgreens in 2006.

In a recent newsletter, Historic Seattle announced its concern over the future of the landmarked Seattle-First National Bank building, which is currently home to a Walgreens pharmacy, at 566 Denny Way in Uptown.

The building, which dates back to 1950, was landmarked in 2006, but a controls and incentives agreement between the building's owner Walgreens and the Landmarks Preservation Board is yet to be adopted.

A controls and incentives agreement, which needs to be signed and formalized by the Seattle City Council, is the last step in the city's landmark designation process and ensures the protection of a building's landmarked features, which in the case of the bank building are its facade and site. Seattle City Council is scheduled to meet Jan. 3 to decide whether to adopt a jointly agreed controls and incentives agreement for the property.

Historic Seattle is however foreseeing a rejection. This follows a meeting earlier this month where several members of the City Council's Neighborhoods, Education, Civil Rights & Culture Committee challenged the Seattle-First National Bank building's landmark designation and the need to place controls and incentives on the building and site.

Image from Construction News Bulletin, 1950 via Historic Seattle [enlarge]

The building is pictured shortly after it opened in 1950.

Historic Seattle says that if the controls are indeed rejected this will not only lead to the building being at risk of demolition but could also “undermine the landmark designation process for any designated landmark that doesn't have controls and possibly any future designated landmarks.”

The 15,600-square-foot First National Bank Building was nominated for landmarking by then owners BRE shortly before the developer sold the property to Walgreens. At the time architect Mithun, who worked on the nomination for BRE, said the landmarking was sought because the owners knew if they did not apply for it someone else could have, potentially impacting a future sale.

The original landmarks nomination packet describes the building as an important structure in the history of banking in Seattle and an illustrative example of the Modern bank architectural style. At the time of construction, it was pitched as “Seattle's newest and most modern banking office.” The building was home to the Seattle-First National Bank (which dates back to the late 19th century and was one of first banks to be established in Washington) from 1950- 1974.

It was then home to Seafirst Corporation from 1974-83 and then Bank of America from 1983–2006.

The bank had one of the first drive-up banking windows to be built in the city before the ATM era and was designed by prominent local architect John W. Maloney. Maloney seems to have based his design on a prototype bank building model drafted by J. Lister Holmes in 1946.

Maloney is known for his modernist designs that can be seen across the state. These include a warehouse for the Seattle School District (built in 1955) and the Kittitas County Courthouse (also built in 1955).

The Seattle First-National Bank building is one story and made of reinforced concrete. The exterior is finished with Roman brick and Indiana limestone. When Walgreens purchased the building in 2006, it renovated the interior but made no changes to the exterior and also maintained the drive-up window, now used as drive-up pharmacy space.

The bank building is not currently up for sale. If it were to be razed in the future, as Historic Seattle fears, it would not be the first time that a landmarked building has met the wrecking ball in Seattle. For example, the landmarked Wayne Apartments in Belltown was demolished this year. The demolition came following a fire, but the city had previously decided not to place controls on the building, essentially paving the way for demolition. The site of the former Wayne Apartments is now set to be home to a new eight-story, 175-unit apartment building.

The bank building site is zoned for projects up to 160 feet tall.