This isn't a story about the corner of Northwest 15th and Market, or about the pending Landmark Preservation Board hearing on whether the former Manning's Cafeteria/Denny's Restaurant merits preservation as an example of "Googie" architecture. It's about the fact that Ballard is of such interest to a local civic affairs program, as a setting for ongoing battles that could have repercussions throughout the city and state.

Over the holidays I missed the original air date for "The Changing Face of Ballard" on KCTS-TV but when I heard that a public television reporter was taking to the streets of Ballard again in January I wanted in. The reporter, Jenny Cunningham, even asked my advice on where to conduct "man on the street" interviews for an upcoming program for "The New KCTS Connects" on the landmark status proposal at the former Denny's site. She'd already tried conducting interviews near the boarded up building and wondered if its very presence was inhibiting anyone from saying out loud that it should be torn down. "Googie vs. Goliath" is scheduled to air on Friday, Feb. 8 at 7:30 p.m.

Although longtime TV journalist and writer Jenny Cunningham lives on Queen Anne, she knew Ballard fit the bill of a neighborhood experiencing wrenching change. Research showed that Lake City and Ballard were the two city neighborhoods ripest for development because they were zoned for high density and 65-foot to 85-foot high buildings long before the term urban village was even coined. Not to denigrate Lake City but Ballard has always been especially known for its tight community - and the intended condo conversion of Lock Vista Apartments spotlighted an issue facing many neighborhoods and cities across the United States.

"The New KCTS Connects" with Enrique Cerna aims to "go beyond the headlines" on issues of public relevance. Cerna is executive producer and has a long history of providing meaningful content to Washington viewers, particularly in education and public affairs. Producer Ethan Morris and contributing reporters such as Jenny Cunningham explore multiple sides of an issue, allowing people to see and hear a story. The voices could be that of Puget Soundkeepers, workers on the Duwamish, local Iraq war veterans, "Rosie the Riveters," or residents of Lock Vista awaiting displacement due to condominium conversion. Morris and Cunningham joke that they can provide almost everything except taste and smell.

It was pouring on the afternoon designated for "man on the street" interviews and we missed each other. But reporter Jenny Cunningham and I finally had a chance to sit down on opposite sides of a table in the KCTS lunchroom, even though it was clear that we are on the same side when it comes to interest in the drama of everyday lives within a community. Jenny found it disconcerting to be on the receiving end of the questions. Normally, she asks the questions. Her process involves pitching stories, then researching, filming, interviewing, writing and narrating the final version of the features that make up the weekly KCTS9 program.

Jenny loves old neighborhoods and believes they're what make Seattle special; residents always identify themselves by neighborhood. She mused, "It's taken a long time for people to get to the point where they're worried about losing the heart and sole of their beloved neighborhood." In her work, a good piece is one in which different viewpoints can emerge, "by giving real people a voice, their actual voice." Somewhat on a whim she attended the Seattle Landmark Preservation Board meeting on Jan. 2 "without any preconceived notions." Because she's a reporter, she took along what she calls a photographer; what we'd probably call a camera man. She said it was packed and, "people were in a frenzy." She was amazed by the support for the Manning's/Denny's building and the case made for preserving a Northwest example of "Googie" architecture.

"Googie vs. Goliath" was a tough sell when first pitched at a production meeting until Jenny convinced others that it wasn't a story about a Denny's or condo backlash in Ballard, but the politics of the landmark process itself, in which the developers have far deeper pockets than preservationists. Plus Jenny is originally from Southern California where efforts have already succeeding in protecting more beloved examples of the swooping 60's architecture known as "Googie."

She believes the landmark board's decision could affect other local landmarks; not just "Googies." She's heard that the Elephant Car Wash on Denny is for sale; she pondered, can you landmark an elephant? What about a truck sporting a big pink toe? For all her interviews, wet and dry, Jenny still isn't sure whether the average citizen wanted to save a building or if they're just sick of all the condo projects. In Ballard she heard the word condo blasted "at least a hundred times." She's interviewed the prospective developers, Rhapsody Partners and has tried to get someone from the city to comment. There is intrinsic conflict in a story in which the developer/nominator is on record as saying the building is ugly and needs to be torn down.

The possible landmark status for this building was documented in the Los Angeles Times and is being tracked all along the west coast. Strange that this corner site at the gateway to Ballard could be what puts the neighborhood on the national radar. The New KCTS Connects with Enrique Cerna will have aired the "Googie vs. Goliath" story almost two weeks before the next hearing but I asked Jenny if she plans to attend on Feb. 20 anyway. "Oh yes," she said, then added, " I'll probably take along a photographer just in case."

Just in case history is made that night that reaches far beyond one corner in Ballard.

The board's Feb. 20 meeting starts at 3:30 p.m. in Room 4060 of Seattle Municipal Tower, 700 Fifth Ave. Details: seattle.gov/neighborhoods/preservation.

Peggy can be reached atlargeinballard@yahoo.com. She writes additional pieces at http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/ballard.