Developer threatens Seattle’s classic 13 Coins restaurant

The latest project slated for the already bustling Denny Way in South Lake Union will add hundreds of more apartments. But the real story isn’t what is being built, it’s what is being demolished.

The developer, H5 Capital, proposes to tear down a one-story building that houses the 13 Coins restaurant.

It’s a “beloved” restaurant, KIRO Radio’s John Curley said. A classic through and through. The 13 Coins is dark and smells like the 1950s.

“And now they’re going to knock it down,” he added sadly.

The 13 Coins opened in 1967. It’s famed for its lively atmosphere, 24-hour menu, and omelettes the size of your head.

It will be knocked down to make way for two, 42-story residential buildings, according to the Puget Sound Business Journal. The towers will be built on either side of the eight-story building that houses The Seattle Times.

Current plans call for the towers to add an additional 840 residential units. Like other newer developments in the city, the amount of parking will be less than the number of units. About 350 parking spaces will be provided for each tower.

The project is near another large-scale development, across Boren Avenue. According to The Seattle Times, a British Columbia-based group is trying to get permits for four residential towers on two city blocks. That includes two, 41-story towers on Denny and 29- and 36-story towers north of those.

Permits for other developments are being filed to the city as well. But despite all of the development, it’s difficult for some to get past the idea of losing The 13 Coins.

“That’s the only interesting thing about [this story],” KIRO Radio’s Tom Tangney said. “My hope is it will reside somewhere in one of those mammoth buildings.”

Maybe Tom will make a trip to one of the 13 Coins in Seatac or Bellevue.