First United Methodist Church Saved For Now
Supporters of a campaign to save the First United Methodist Church in downtown Seattle are hoping negotiations will succeed on a plan to preserve the key historic building. But preservationists say negotiations are stalled over a potential new home for the congregation. The 1910 structure, the oldest church in the central business district, is at the heart of a controversy over the congregation's decision to raze the building versus grassroots preservationists' pleas to keep the structure intact.
The terra-cotta and brick sanctuary at Fifth Avenue and Marion Street was seriously damaged in the 2001 Nisqually Earthquake, and the congregation, unable to pay for repairs, decided to tear down the building. A group of preservationists called Friends of First United Methodist Church challenged the city permit in court, but the court ruled that preventing the demolition would infringe on the congregation's religious freedoms. Previous attempts by the city to declare the building an historic landmark were declared unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court on the same grounds.
In June 2006, the congregation accepted an offer by a developer who planned to replace the sanctuary with an office tower. But after appeals by community leaders, including King County Councilmember Dow Constantine, and by a new preservationist group, Save Our Sanctuary, the congregation agreed to consider alternatives. The developer withdrew his offer, but another developer, Seattle-based Nitze-Stagen, submitted a new offer which would save the building. The congregation decided to consider the Nitze-Stagen plan in September 2006.
As of November, negotiations on details were on-going, and the congregation had not given the plan final approval, which is delayed by talks over relocating the congregation to a site in Belltown. Preservationists say owners of one parcel at a potential site for a new church on Third Avenue between Wall and Battery streets are uninterested in a sale. For the latest developments, visit the Save Our Sanctuary website.
While preservationists wait for a final vote by church members, Save Our Sanctuary founder Michael Godfried says the near loss of the building highlights the pressures to remove historic structures downtown in favor of high-rise condos and office buildings. "We need to be a lot more aggressive in this city to landmark existing buildings," says Godfried, a Seattle architect. "We need to do it now because so much construction is happening, and so many buildings are endangered."
For more information on First United Methodist Church preservation, contact Michael Godfried, 206 938.0472, mgodfried@comcast.net.
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