Even though the landmark review board declined to grant officialhistorical status to the existing structure, it is a rich part ofSeattle history. The first building on the site went up in 1916.The Crystal Pool bathhouse there was a salt-water swimming pool andaquatic center that pumped its water directly from Puget Sound fornearly 20 years. In the 1940s the Bethel Temple remodeled thebathhouse to create a church, laying a floor over the pool for itssanctuary. A subsequent remodel in the 1960s substantially changedthe character of the building--the reason it is not an historicallandmark--but not the building's 90-year-old terra cotta façadedone in Italian Renaissance style, which the developers plan tospend $2 million restoring in order to use it as the façade of thenew structure.

The mixed-use project's design has gone through several changesas a result of meetings with the Design Review Board and numerouspublic hearings. Weber Thompson Architects of Seattle collaboratedon the most recent version. The project will also include apergola-dome structure reminiscent of the original built with thebathhouse in 1916. Though the restoration and pergola will addconsiderable expense to the project, Steve Washburn, an owner ofMurray Franklin, says preserving its history will add value to thebuilding.

An appeal may delay commencement of the project. No officialsources were immediately available to comment on the nature of theappeal. The city will hold a hearing to discuss the matter on Jan.16.