Two of West Seattle's oldest buildings have been purchased by private developers who plan to restore them to their former glory and create new event facilities, a refurbished restaurant and a new bakery.

Developers Thomas Lin and Patrick Henley are in the process of buying the Alki Homestead restaurant. They want to refurbish the 55-year-old restaurant and reopen its original second-story banquet room.

The Tudor-style Hainsworth House, one of West Seattle's oldest and grandest homes, is to become an event center for weddings and other celebrations.

Closure on the sale of the Alki Homestead awaits approval of a new liquor license for the new owners, Lin said. He hopes to close the deal on the Hainsworth House this week.

Meanwhile work is already underway on a new business on Alki Avenue to be called Homestead Caf/ & Bakery. It's under construction in the building that used to house Alki Mail & Dispatch. The new business will double as a pastry shop and bakery that could also supply the Alki Homestead restaurant with desserts.

On April 1, the developers plan to reopen the pizza place called Slices at 2600 Marine Ave. S.W.

Lin is the developer who wants to build a four-story hotel on Alki Avenue between 58th and Marine avenues.

His business partner in this venture is Patrick Henley, owner of PWH Construction Co., a Woodinville company that does historic restoration.

"We're involved because we're interested in preserving old buildings," Lin said.

The Alki Homestead has been a restaurant for 55 years but the building was built in 1904 as a vacation home for the Bernard family. In fact, today's Log House Museum was the Bernard's carriage house.

The Bernards sold the rustic structure to the Seattle Driving and Auto Club as a clubhouse.

Lin and Henley want to keep the Alki Homestead operating as a restaurant. There will be some decorative changes but Lin and Henley want to keep the Homestead's log cabin d/cor. They plan a thorough cleaning and will replace the building's roof. The exposed electrical wiring will be replaced and hidden this time. New carpeting will be installed.

Lin and Henley plan to return to the original entrance in the middle of the front porch. The entrance has been near the side of the porch.

A small bar is planned in the front portion of the restaurant.

They also want to eliminate some up and down steps on the way to the restaurant's men's room.

The plan is to keep the restaurant in operation during construction. When finished, the renovated restaurant will seat the same number of diners as today.

The menu at the Homestead will retain its popular dishes but improve the cuts of meat and use more fresh vegetables, Henley said.

They expect to raise dinner prices $1 to $2 to help defray remodeling costs.

The Alki Homestead is planned to be open more frequently and later in the evening. Lin wants to extend dinner hours during summer as well as serve brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. The soon-to-be-new owners are also considering serving lunch.

Originally there was a large room on the second floor of the Homestead building that was converted into two apartments years ago. Lin and Henley want to remove the apartments and build a room large enough for about 75 people at a sit-down dinner. The second floor could be rented for banquets, parties and other events.

Hainsworth House is one of the first mansions built in West Seattle. It stands at 2657 S.W. Olga St., uphill from the Admiral Viewpoint.

Lin and Henley plan to turn the Tudor-style mansion into an event center. They want to offer it for weddings, anniversaries, conferences and other gatherings for up to 100 people.

The main floor of the large house will get new wallpaper and paint while the landscaping gets spruced up and reinvigorated.

For some years, the Hainsworth House was a bed and breakfast. Future plans call for the upper floors to be refurbished and some its doors reconfigured to return part of the building to a bed and breakfast.

They hired Claude Johnston as executive chef to oversee food preparation at their new facilities. He previously was a chef at Lake Tahoe.

Liz Henley, Patrick's sister, has a background in restaurants and will be operations manager.

Originally from Britain, William Henry Hainsworth II started a commercial steel foundry in Pittsburgh, the first foundry in America. Against the advice of his colleague Andrew Carnegie, he moved to West Seattle and built a foundry in Ballard.

Hainsworth had the home built in 1907 for his family: wife Mary, sons Will and John, and daughter Betsy. It was one of the first houses in what was to become the Admiral District.

It was designed by John Graham and David Myers, whose firm also designed the downtown Bon Marche store (now Macy's) and the downtown Frederick and Nelson department store (now Nordstrom).

Hainsworth House has had official Seattle landmark status since 1980. Its exterior and site are legally protected and cannot be altered without the approval of the Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board.

Lin has not given up on his plan to build a hotel across the street from Alki Beach.

"I still believe there is a demand (for a hotel) and I still think it's a great project," Lin said. "Plans for the hotel were diverted but didn't derail it."

Lin and Henley said their aim is to attain symmetry among the various facilities, Lin said. Each is intended to complement the others.

Lin and Henley said they are open to suggestions from the public about how best to use their new properties. Call them at Slices, 932-1888.

Tim St. Clair can be reached at tstclair@robinsonnews.com or 932-0300.