Congregation likes plan to save old building downtown

First United Methodist Church members embraced an offer Sunday that could save the seemingly doomed historic church in downtown Seattle from the wrecking ball. The offer would preserve the old sanctuary for public use and provide cash and property for the group to build a new church in Belltown.

The 1907 First United Methodist Church at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Columbia Street would be preserved under a proposal from developer Nitze-Stagen.

The Sunday meeting was the latest in a controversy this summer over the future of the historic building at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Columbia Street.
Just three months ago, the same congregation voted overwhelmingly to accept an offer from skyscraper developer Martin Selig that would give them a new church in Belltown, but would require them to first tear down their existing church, which was built in 1907.
"That kind of kicked off the activity. The threat of demolition on this site was taken seriously," said Kurt Armbruster, a member of the church building committee.
Soon after the June vote, two other developers, Nitze-Stagen and Sabey Corp., which owns the Seattle P-I building, raced to First United Methodist with alternatives to save the sanctuary.
Elected officials, including Mayor Greg Nickels, King County Executive Ron Sims and King County Councilman Dow Constantine tried to encourage church officials to consider the alternatives.