| Historic Name: |
Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church/ First Norwegian Lutheran Church |
Common Name: |
Denny Park Lutheran Church |
| Style: |
Other |
Neighborhood: |
South Lake Union |
| Built By: |
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Year Built: |
1939 |
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| Significance |
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In the opinion of the survey, this property appears to meet the criteria of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Ordinance. |
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In the opinion of the survey, this property is located in a potential historic districe (National and/or local). |
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According to King County Tax Assessor Record cards, this church building was designed as the “Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church” by architect Bjarne Moe in 1939; other documents indicate that the church had been known as the “First Norwegian Lutheran Church” since 1919. The church was dedicated on April 21, 1940. Drawings from 1941 indicate that a design for a sign with the name “First Norwegian Lutheran Church” was planned. A 1956 western addition to the building, known as “the Youth Education Building” was designed by the local architecture firm of Carlson Eley Grevstad, (which, in 1959, also designed an International Style building on pilotis for its office at 221 Minor Avenue North in the Cascade area). The new wing was built in 1956 and dedicated in 1957. The name of the church was changed to its present name, “Denny Park Lutheran Church,” in 1945.
The congregation of this church goes back to 1888, when sixteen members organized the Norwegian-Danish Lutheran Church. The first place of worship was the Swedish Lutheran Church at Third Avenue and Pike Street. The congregation’s first official church was built at Fourth Avenue and Pine Street between 1889 and 1890. This building was sold in 1904 and replaced by a new church at Fifth and Wall Street, however the Denny Regrade soon forced another move in 1909. Between 1909 or 1910 and 1912, the congregation appears to have rented space in Immanuel Lutheran Church, located in Cascade at Yale and John Street. Another church was built in 1912, this time at Boren and Virginia Street. The final move was to the present site.
The original 1939 building by Bjarne Moe is the most significant portion of the building, although the 1956 addition is sensitive to it. Bjarne Moe’s design reflects the influence of the National Romanticism movement in Scandinavian architecture and of buildings from the Scandinavian countries and Finland dating from the 1900s to the 1930s. In particular, the shape of the gable and the use of “triangular arches” are reminiscent of the work of such architects as Lars Sonck in Finland, known for his use of “triangular arches.” Other elements, such as the ornamental bas reliefs at the main entrance of the church, are also noteworthy. Bjarne Moe was known, in particular as a theater designer and the well-known architect Victor Steinbrueck worked in Moe’s office from 1937 to 1938.
Carlson Eley Grevstad, the architects of the 1956 addition, are familiar as a local Seattle firm which operated in the 1950s. The firm designed the mechanical engineering building at the University of Washington. Less is known about the individual partners, except for Barney Grevstad. A native Seattleite, Grevstad was a graduate of the University of Washington in architecture. In addition to being a member of the American Institute of Architects, he was member of the Norwegian Male Chorus. When Grevstad retired in 1972, Carlson Eley Grevstad dissolved. Barney Grevstad was 69 years old, when he died in 1982.
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| Appearance |
| This brick clad church building is located at the northeast corner of 8th Avenue North and John Street, with the main façade and entry occurring along John Street and facing south toward Denny Park. The church portion is one story, while other areas, particularly at the eastern addition are two stories. The church property, but not the structure, also extends into the adjoining parcel, on the northeast corner of Dexter Avenue North, so that one of the best views of the church is from the southwest corner of Dexter Avenue North and John St. The building was constructed in two phases, with the actual church constructed in 1939 and an addition, the Youth-Education Building, located to the east side of the original building, occurring in 1956 and dedicated in 1957. Exterior walls are of concrete with a brick veneer, while interior structural elements (outside of the concrete basement) are of wood frame construction.
The plan of the original church building is almost symmetrical in the north-west axis, as well along the west-east axis. In plan, two virtually identical smaller rectangles, longer in the west-east direction, are set to each side of a slighter wider rectangle, which is much longer in the north-south direction. The southern rectangle is mainly devoted to the lobby (narthex) of the church, the larger middle rectangle corresponds to the nave and the northern rectangle contains the altar, with a choir area to each side of it. Upsetting the symmetry very slightly in this initial design were a few “study” and “office” rooms, located to the west of the lobby area.
These spaces are covered by a large, gable roof, with one major gable wall occurring along the main façade and a tower structure with a spire inserted at the southwest corner of the building. Important design elements seen in the main façade, gables and cross gables, as well as recessed vertical openings that mimic gable shapes, are repeated throughout the exterior of the building.
The main gabled entry façade consists of three long vertical openings that start below the top of the façade and continue down to the top entry step. The central opening is basically a “triangular arch” that follows the shape of the gable wall, while the two side openings are also slanted along the respective angles of the roofline above. The resulting shape of the three openings is a “triangular arch” shape, mimicking the gable wall. This combination of shapes, this time set within a cross-gable end, occurs toward the center of the west façade and before the 1956 addition, also occurred on the east façade.
Also notable, within the central bay of the main façade, are three identical, ornamental, cast-stone panels, which occur as central bands, just below the glazing within the long vertical openings. Each square panel features a combination of interlaced floral patterns, set around a large circular band, divided into four equal sections, by concave arc shapes, at the center of which is a stylized cruciform shape. Below the panels are three identical entry doors, with heavy frames and four vertical pairs of square lights.
As part of the same façade, the 1956 addition, which is lower in height and has a short spanning gabled roof running perpendicular to the main roof, protrudes out from the plane of the original church façade This portion of the south elevation is also distinguished by several cross-gables, which include south facing recessed openings that mimic the “triangular arches” of the original façade.
Turning the corner, the south portion of the 1956 east elevation is comprised of a narrow gable wall with a chimney stack at its center. This is followed by the longer side wall of an added gabled space, whose ridge is parallel to the main ridge of the original church building. The second portion of the elevation is distinguished by strings of rectangular glazing at each side of a protruding rectangular portal, with a band of similar windows at the second floor. The 1956 east elevation contrasts in many respects with the original design, but its cladding and detailing are sensitive to the original, while its design indicates the difference in function from the original church building. |
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| Status: |
Yes - Inventory |
| Classication: |
Building |
District Status: |
INV |
| Cladding(s): |
Brick, Concrete, Stone - Cast |
Foundation(s): |
Concrete - Poured |
| Roof Type(s): |
Gable, Varied roof lines |
Roof Material(s): |
Metal, Asphalt/Composition-Rolled |
| Building Type: |
Religion - Religious facility |
Plan: |
Irregular |
| Structural System: |
Mixed |
No. of Stories: |
two |
| Unit Theme(s): |
Architecture/Landscape Architecture, Ethnic Heritage, Religion, Social Movements & Organizations |
| Integrity |
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Changes to Plan: |
Slight |
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Changes to Original Cladding: |
Intact |
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Changes to Windows: |
Intact |
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| Major Bibliographic References |
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King County Property Record Card (c. 1938-1972), Washington State Archives.
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Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl, ed. Shaping Seattle Architecture, A Historical Guide to the Architects. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1994.
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City of Seattle, Department of Planning and Development, Microfilm Records.
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Donnelly, Marion. Architecture in the Scandinavian Countries. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1992.
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“Denny Park Lutheran Church- ELCA-Our History,” Website available on-line at
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“Cinema Treasures / Roxy Theatre, Bremerton,WA,” website:
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