Owner of the Alki Homestead Restaurant, a city landmark that was damaged and closed by a Jan. 16 fire, said he plans to re-open the historic building as it was, but in the meantime will likely open a new restaurant in the North Admiral District to ensure the Homestead employees still have jobs.

"It's mainly for them (the employees), it's not for me," said Homestead owner of three years Tom Lin. I don't look at it from a business perspective."

The January fire at the Homestead left at least 10 people without work since the restaurant closed due to the damage to the dining area and roof. Lin said he does not expect it to re-open within the next year and starting a new restaurant was the best solution he could think of to retain his employees.

"It's not a done deal, but there's a good chance we are going to do it," said Lin, who would not reveal the exact location of the new restaurant space. "It's sort of a work in progress."

Recently, the Southwest Seattle Historical Society Board, which operates the Log House Museum in Alki, released a statement urging the protection and restoration of more than 100-year-old Homestead building, formerly Fir Lodge.

"We are confident that there are many ways in which the building can be used to insure that it has an economically viable future," according to the historical society's release. "We urge community support of a vision that restores the landmarked building and sustains the site as a valuable element of the Alki community, the Duwamish Peninsula, and the city of Seattle. "

Lin said his current plans are to restore the restaurant, in part because he is negotiating a sale with West Seattle resident Johnny Zhu, based on the existence of the restaurant.

"I want both of them (the building and the restaurant) back," said Lin. If you bring it back without the restaurant I think you will lose the soul of the property."

Lin said Zhu is still interested in purchasing the business, even if it takes a year to re-open.

"He wants the Alki Homestead," said Lin. "(He) is committed, I have no doubt. Our goal right now it to keep the integrity of the place."

Judy Bentley, president of the historical board, said a task force of the historical society and Log House Museum toured the restaurant on March 7 and met with Lin afterward to hear about his plans.

"We remained in communication with him as the board considered our policy statement, and we notified him in a follow-up letter of our concerns," said Bentley in an email to the Herald. "We will continue to work with the owner and any future owners, with government agencies, and with the public to support this restoration. We are heartened to hear of the owner’s intentions."

The historical board has urged better protection of the building during adverse weather since the damage and that the yard and landscaping be maintained, among other things. They are concerned about broken windows and a hole in the roof that is not completely covered.

Bentley said the board would like to see the restaurant return.

Lin said he has been in discussion with Mark Fritch, owner of Log Homes based in Sandy, Ore., about making improvements to the building even before the Jan. 16 fire damaged its roof and dining area. According to Fritch, he specializes in the building and restoration of log homes.

The Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board designated the building a Seattle landmark on Oct. 18, 1995. It was built in 1904.

Below is a letter from Lin to the community about the status of the Homestead and future plans.

Dear community members,

It has been 2 months since the fire at Alki Homestead and I appreciate everyone's concern as to what to do with the property. Hopefully this will provide some insight as to what is going on.

My main concern is to find a place for my employees to work. It has not been easy due to the economic condition of the market. I have looked at over several restaurants that are for sale in West Seattle and finally found one that everyone likes. I presented the letter of intent yesterday and hopefully it will work out. The employees are thrilled to have the opportunity to work together as a team again -- over 10 of them. It is not going to be named Alki Homestead. However, the spirit will be kept alive until Homestead reopens.

It will be a long road ahead to restore Alki Homestead. The insurance is still in the process of getting settled. I have to say that the insurance companies I am working with are professional and extremely helpful. They have a process that they have to go through in order to settle the claim. It just takes time and they are doing the best they can.

I called my insurance adjuster yesterday and asked them to release the property. They called back immediately with permission to go ahead with a modified cleanup. I can start cleaning up the place, but I should keep the contents intact until the insurance settles. Technically, the insurance companies own the property inside the building because they are paying for it.

Where do we go from here? I have been working with my architects and Mark Fritch of Mark Fritch Log Homes. Mark sent a letter to the West Seattle Herald on March 24. I hope you will have a chance to read it. Mark is the great grandson of the original builder, Anton Borgen, who helped build Alki Homestead and Log House Museum.

I met up with the board of Log House Museum a month ago. Their position is to restore the building regardless of the "use" of the building. They believe that as long as a viable business can pay the rent, then the building is saved.

I disagree with that view. The building is the shell, but the spirit is the Alki Homestead. To bring back the building without Alki Homestead is like visiting your grandmother's house after she passed away, kind of empty. I have owned it for three years. I am the one who has seen:

1, Customers celebrating their 50th anniversary because that is where they had their wedding rehearsal.
2. The Ericksons, who have been coming every Friday night for the past 27 years.
3, The couple who celebrated their 75th anniversary, and they met at the beach when they were 16 years old.

The stories go on and on.

Maybe all of you can help me preserve the spirit of the property as well as the historical use of this great site. Maybe the Log House Museum can have their annual gala at Alki Homestead Restaurant in the future, instead of holding those events at other non-historic venues, as in the past two years.

I believe action speaks louder than words. If you would like to help with the project, then let's be constructive. We need to stay positive and move forward. A lot of work needs to be done. Let's bring Alki Homestead Restaurant back and let's make this project something we can all be proud of.

Thomas Lin