- The Naked Loon - https://nakedloon.com -

Empty Kenmore Denny’s Still Standing, Nobody Cares

One week after the iconic Ballard Denny’s building was unceremoniously smashed to bits, the 31-year-old Denny’s restaurant building in Kenmore continues to remain standing, a blatant mockery of all that is good and wholesome.

While the architecturally interesting Ballard Denny’s met the steel claw of progress last week, the exceptionally ordinary Kenmore Denny’s building has so far avoided meeting the same fate.

Since the closure of Denny’s in May of 2006, the nondescript building has been sitting gutted and empty without so much as a peep from local neighbors.

In the wake of a complete lack of political wrangling, a number of local voices have stepped forward recently not to call for the structure’s preservation, but to make it clear that nobody in Kenmore could possibly care less about what happens to it.

The city of Kenmore does not have a Landmarks Preservation Board, and Mayor David Baker stated in no uncertain terms that if there were such a thing, the city “would not even pause to consider granting the Kenmore Denny’s protection status.”

“Frankly, we have far more important things to concern ourselves with around here,” said Susan Keller, a spokesperson for the community group Kenmore Regional Activity Planners. “For example, I understand that the grass at Swamp Creek Park hasn’t been mowed in at least two weeks.”

The overwhelming apathy exuded by the community has led the property owner to question their plans for the parcel.

“We’re a little bit disappointed that we apparently won’t get to experience the thrill of fighting an irate neighborhood group,” said Andrew Stuttgart, a representative for Kenmore Lakeview LLC, the building’s ownership group. “We’re considering whether it’s even worth tearing down if we don’t get to piss off at least a few people.”

The Denny’s building was completed in 1977 on a stretch of road near downtown Kenmore, which today looks no different than it did in 1977. In its prime, the building featured tacky 70s color schemes, fluorescent lights, and a stereotypical suburban customer base.