SEATTLE — One of Seattle’s oldest landmarks faces demolition.
The Wayne Apartment Building has stood in Belltown for 130 years, making it one of the oldest buildings in the Pacific Northwest.
The city of Seattle approved the demolition on Feb. 11, although the deadline to appeal the decision is Thursday.
The building, which built between 1889 and 1891, is one of the last examples of a rowhouse, according to Steve Hall, SEPA representative for the Friends of Historic Belltown.
“It kind of became a symbol of the workforce and the people who don’t make a lot of money and that used to live in Belltown,” Hall said. “It was a symbol, and that symbol is being destroyed, and that’s the value that it had and that’s the value that is lost.”
Some community members are frustrated since the structure was granted landmark status back in 2015. However, building owners are allowed to get an exemption if they argue they cannot get a reasonable economic return from their property, according to Hall.
“We get our historic buildings destroyed, and there’s no compensation to the public,” Hall said.
The city of Seattle has not responded to a request for comment.
Some Belltown community members are considering an appeal.