Church openings aren't usually big draws for politicians.

But the opening of Seattle First United Methodist Church on Jan. 31 was an event to be celebrated by a group of Seattle City Council members for many reasons.

The opening of the church in the Belltown neighborhood of downtown Seattle marks the culmination of seven years of work by local political officials and preservationists to save the Seattle First United Methodist Church at Fifth and Marion, and move the parish to a larger space at Second Avenue and Denny Way.

"It's gratifying to help preserve a historic structure," said council president Richard Conlin during a council meeting on Monday. Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn declared Sunday First United Methodist Church Day, and King County Executive Dow Constantine proclaimed this First United Methodist Church Week.

It is a tale of three buildings: two churches and a tower.

The deal was one of the more complex in recent Seattle history -- challenging local developers to find a way to save the historic Seattle First United Methodist Church on Marion, done in the Beaux Arts style, while also permitting a new tower adjacent to the old church.

The deal to save the terra-cotta domed United Methodist Church on Marion, declared as a historic landmark more than two decades ago, was struck at the height of the building boom and involves an agreement between Nitze-Stagen to save the old church and develop a 670,000-square-foot tower alongside it.

The facades of the 43-story tower -- to be called The Fifth and Columbia Tower -- are designed to resemble sides of a diamond, with each side having triangular planes set at a different angle, and each side looking different.

"Kevin Daniels deserves a halo," said Marilyn Brockman, a principal and architect with Bassetti Architects.

Daniels, president of Nitze-Stagen, crafted the deal with the city, county and United Methodist.

Church leaders wanted to re-develop the property and in the mid-1990s fought to void the historic designation by the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board, eventually winning their case before the Washington State Supreme Court.

But the 2007 deal with Nitze-Stagen, and much polical pressure, made it possible to save the building while also giving the church the funding it needed to relocate.

The new tower, by Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects, will be adjacent to the old church. But it has yet to be built and has been put on hold because of the economic downturn.

Daniels will also renovate the nearly 100-year-old church, which is currently being used to host community events. Last week, the church, re-named Daniels Recital Hall, which hosted a "classical and sacred music" concert.

The new building is a three-story church structure that includes a 450-seat sanctuary, fellowship hall, classrooms, and office space. Across an alley, which bisects the site, is a four-story parking structure with one floor of urban outreach space at street level.

Exterior materials of the church building are brick and hammered titanium, and the prominent feature of the sanctuary building is a large cross on the south facade. Two entrances serve the church facility - one on Denny Way adjacent to the offices and Fellowship Hall, the second on Warren Avenue North, which is the primary entrance for the sanctuary level.

The building's worship space has a 29-foot-tall wooden ceiling on a steel superstructure. Walls are made of textured plaster, and two large stained-glass windows will help identify the spaces. The sanctuary includes a combination of pews and chairs with about 100 seats in a second-floor balcony.

The adjacent parking structure has approximately 120 parking spaces. The first floor, with direct access to Denny Way, has about 7,200 square feet of human service delivery space for the congregation's urban outreach ministry to homeless and underserved people in Belltown.

The building is the first new church built in downtown Seattle in over 40 years.

A description of the new church:

Essentially a cube, the sanctuary appears to hover above the street, over the glass façade of fellowship hall. The separation of the main space from the street allows time for the visitor to realize the importance of the space prior to arriving at the sanctuary. The cross is nestled into a concave curve of the exterior. The exterior cross and curving roof appear to float free of the building structure.

Sanctuary -- Clerestory windows fill the sanctuary with natural light. The wood ceiling of the narthex extends into the sanctuary, allowing the visitor to enter the space without fully realizing its grandeur.  Once out from under the balcony, the ceiling rises to 35 feet, and the source of daylight is fully revealed. From high above, clerestory windows fill the sanctuary with natural light. The sanctuary paneling and pews are cherry wood and create a warm comforting environment along with the wood ceiling. The bowed roof beams are visible within the sanctuary and recall the boats and vessels so often included in Bible scripture.

Exterior -- The church exterior is organized to represent the daily working building portions in brick and the spiritual areas in titanium, wood, and glass. The titanium skinned sanctuary appears physically cradled and supported by the brick sections, as the spiritual soul of the congregation is sustained by its mission. At the surrounds of the large stained glass window on the east wall, the titanium appears to poke out of the brick.

Sanctuary Entrance -- From the streets, walkers ascend 2nd Avenue to arrive at the courtyard. Both paths are lined with plantings.

Sanctuary Doors - The artisan-made door pulls at the sanctuary entrance are reminiscent of palms or oars - symbols of victory and passage.