Cooper Landing Post Office (Cooper Landing, AK)

For Memorial Day Weekend, we went camping at the Quartz Creek Campground along the Kenai Lake.  The campground is in Cooper Landing, a small town on the Kenai Peninsula.  This was my first chance to really get out of Anchorage and it was beautiful.  Sunday afternoon, we went over to the Cooper Landing Museum.  I didn't know anything about the town or its history, so the museum was a pleasant surprise.  The museum is actually the old Cooper Landing Post Office, which was listed on the National Register in 1977.  It looks different than it did back in 1977, but it still has its distinctive ornamental facade and rustic appearance.  I'm not sure exactly what happened, but the older addition seems to have been removed and an different older building looks as though it was attached to the original structure.  Perhaps this was done when the property was made into a museum.

Here is a photo from the 1977 nomination:

I didn't have an opportunity to look at the NR nomination before the trip, so I'm learning more about Cooper Landing and the post office more now.  Next time, I'll make sure to see if there are any NR properties near our campsites (you'd think a building geek would already do that).  In addition to the post office, there was also a nomination for a historic district.  It consisted of 5 buildings.  I have a feeling that the newer addition is one of those buildings, added to the post office in hopes of saving the building from demolition.  However, this is only speculation.

The interior of the museum was chock-full of memorabilia and things from the history of Cooper Landing.  It reminded me of an old antique store, but with lots more dead animals in it.

Here's an old photo I found from the Alaska Digital Archives.  It shows a bus to Seward and a wooden bridge that crosses the Kenai River.  There was no approximate date online and it's times like these, that I wish I knew something about automobiles to date structures.  Nevertheless, it's a great shot and shows the importance of the post office as the focal point of the community.

Below are a few details of the building construction. 

Finally, an added treat to the museum was the presence of two adorable sled dogs.  You could go into their cage and pet them.  They were shy, but liked to be pet.  I am a crazy cat lady, but those blue eyes could convert just about anyone.

I'm not sure what my next mini-adventure will be, but hopefully, I'll be getting out of the city more and enjoying the amazing scenery that Alaska has to offer.

Anchorage Hotel Annex (Anchorage, AK)

It sure has been a busy week.  I started this blog because I had a little too much free time on my hands and somehow it's almost vanished this past week.  I started a new job, had a house guest and have been trying to soak up as much vitamin D as possible.  Doesn't leave much time for blogging.

At any rate, today I'm posting a bit on the Anchorage Hotel Annex.  Located at the corner of 4th and E, this building gets overlooked for an obvious reason.  A bear.  Yup, a bear.  The first floor retail space is a souvenir shop and to get tourists' attention, they've placed a pretty large bear on the corner of the building.  I honestly didn't notice that the building was historic until walking around the side to the hotel entrance.

If you can get past the bear (which could be considered an adverse effect if you really think about it), you'll notice that the building has a sorta gothic moderne style to it.  It was designed by E. Ellsworth Sedille in 1936 as an addition to the original Anchorage Hotel which was located where the Hilton currently stands. 

I found a few photos online of the original Anchorage Hotel and this was the only photo that showed the two buildings together and how they compliment each other.  Below is the current juxtaposition:

The Anchorage Hotel Annex is a good example of second generation Anchorage architecture. 

I think as the weather continues to get nicer and the days continue to get longer, my posts will continue to get shorter.  I'm sure I'll make up for it in December...

Kimball's Store (Anchorage, AK)

I'm back from a brief hiatus due to slow internet and other non-internety things that had to be done this week. So today's post is on Kimball's Store.  It was constructed in 1915 and is the only structure from the original townsite to be in its original location.  That's mighty impressive for Anchorage.  It's pretty simple in its wood-frame construction and Hoagland even describes it as "plain to the point of homeliness", but it is one of the best examples of commerical storefronts from the "first generation" buildings and in the same spot to boot!  (The buildings constructed at the time of Anchorage's initial founding are considered first generation. The buildings constructed during the WWII boom are considered second generation.  I haven't heard of later buildings described as third or fourth generations, but it is a good way to pin point the series of economic and subsequent constructions booms in Anchorage over the years.)

Here is the "homely" building:

It's pretty amazing that it's still standing in its present location.  In fact, the National Register nomination was written in 1986 and you can see from the nomination photographs that a series of older (possibly 1950s) buildings were present along the street with similar scale and purpose. 

However, today it is the only building left on the square block.  It is surrounded by the Town Square Municipal Park, with the very large 80s-riffic Alaska Center for the Performing Arts right next to it.

Notice the "Vote for Tony" sign painted on the side of the building has been replaced by colorful moose.

This last remaining first generation building has got me thinking about a series that someone in New Orleans did called "dat ain't dere no more".  The series focused on old buildings and establishments that no longer existed, yet still held a special place in the heart of many New Orleanians.  And while I'm new to Alaska, there are some great buildings that I've come across through research that are no longer with us.  Perhaps a future post will be dedicated to those fine and forgotten buildings.

Hopefully the sun will be out so I can take some "happier" building shots this weekend.  As a great architectural historian once told me, "you can make anything eligible with the right weather and lighting. Lanscaping helps too."  More to come....

Wendler Building or Club 25 (Anchorage, AK)

I'm back from a wonderfully sunny weekend here in Alaska.  When I moved up in late-August it was kinda rainy and then it turned to fall, and then the darkness of winter.  So this is the first really great season I've had up here.  We have about 17 hours of daylight now.  It's pretty amazing.  Not good for getting to bed at a reasonable time, but I'm making up for the vitamin D that was lacking over the winter. 

Today, I'm posting a little on the Wendler Building, also known as Club 25.  I like this building a lot.  It's what you imagine when you think of a western frontier town (even though Anchorage isn't really a frontier town).  Before I moved up here and did a little research, I thought all the buildings would look like this.  Ah, well...

The building was constructed in 1915 and operated as a grocery store by A.J. Wendler and R. C. Larson.  According to The Buildings of Alaska by Alison Hoagland, the building had been owned by the Wendler family until 1983.  The building was originally located on Fourth Avenue and I Street, but was moved to avoid demolition.  This is one of the few states I've been in where moving a structure does not automatically disqualify it for listing in the National Register.  I must say, it's refreshing, but could also open a can of worms if more specific guidelines are not in place.  In Louisiana, where I worked for the past 4 years, moving a building (even to the next lot over) was a cardinal sin.  Only recently, after Hurricane Katrina, did moving a building bring up a discussion rather than automatic exclusion.  And I suppose the earthquake of 1964 is part of the reason moving buildings is acceptable here.  If they were not to be moved, they would have been destroyed.  It's a delicate balance, that I think everyone is still trying to better understand.  I've always considered myself a practical preservationist and it's situations like this where discussion is key to really preserve what matters.

The Wendler Building now sits on Fourth and D. 

I'm not exactly sure what's going on with the red brick building around it, but it seems as though it's about to be engulfed by it. 

Here is a photo of the structure from 1917.  As you can see there have been some modifications to the building, but it retains much of its form and that lovely turret. (Man, I'm a sucker for a nice turret)  I think this is the only turret in Anchorage. 

This photo was taken during the Fur Rondy in February.  They actually had to import snow downtown as it all melted away right before the ceremonial start of the iditarod.  You can see the sign for Club 25 better from this angle.  Club 25 began in 1948 when Mr. Wendler's daughters opened up a women's club, which then turned into a supper club.  Below is an image taken in 1956:

On a side note, I couldn't find any reference to the Wendler Building on the NR website.  NPS began updating their old database (which used to just list the properties and the date added, with little other information) with his new database that has scanned copies of all the NR nominations and photos.  It's pretty amazing.  And all of Alaska's resources seem to be up to date (only a few in Louisiana were last time I checked).  It's a great resource for preservationists and anyone interested in what's listed in your community and why.

http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/

Yet, I couldn't find anything for the Wendler Building on the website.  Not sure if it's just a mistake or if it's not listed.  At any rate, it's a great building, with a story that really shows the history of the built environment of downtown Anchorage.

Mapping Skillz (or lack there of)

Today is such a lovely day, I thought I'd take some more photos of more historic buildings.  In order to do that, I needed to map out where they were.  I used google maps (as google earth seems to be a bit wonky on my new computer), so it's not the greatest map.  More useful for my purposes than anything else, but here it is:


View NR Properties Anchorage Area in a larger map

Also, the Bear Awareness class was a success.  If by a success one means scaring the crap out of a city girl whose only experience with wildlife are rats and unusually large flying roaches.  (They really didn't need to show the bear eating the tent.)

Happy Friday!

City Hall (Anchorage, AK)

Today is going to be a short entry for a couple of reasons.  First, I've got a bear awareness class to attend in a bit.  Second, not really a fan of this building.  Don't get me wrong.  In the context of Anchorage architecture, it's great.  But the classical form and elements seem out of place for the time period and location.  However, back in early 1930s Anchorage, I imagine the classical references are just what the new town of Anchorage was looking for.  Something substantial.  None of that clean lines and stream-lined stuff for the building that would house every operation of the 20 year old city.  They needed something that would represent the stability and growth of the city.  So here it is:

It was designed by the local architect E. Ellsworth Sedille, who designed quite a few really exceptional buildings in Anchorage.  On a side note, after doing some research for work on the history of Anchorage, it becomes apparent that there are a handful of great local architects.  Sedille is certainly one of them and more of his work will be posted soon. Constructed in 1936, City Hall was a Public Works Administration project. 
Today it house the Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau.

I'm going to try to include a historic shot with a contemporary at the same angle.  Hopefully that will show any changes to the structures and surrounding area.

And lastly, a bit of animal cruelty in front of the historic structure.  Poor doggy!

The Federal Building (Anchorage, AK) & a bit of a pre-Ramble

I suppose I should better explain what I'm doing.  In an effort to better familiarize myself with the historic resources of Alaska, I'm first looking at the National Register-listed properties (in Anchorage, as that's where I live, but hopefully getting out to other areas this summer) to get a sense of the significance of each property and ultimately develop a personal database for historic properties in Alaska.  There are currently 28 listed properties within the National Register database for the Anchorage area.  A few are archaeological sites, a few are located outside the city on private property and a couple may have been demolished or moved, so I'll just be photographing and posting on those properties I can find.  In addition to NR-listed properties, there are dozens of interesting standing structures that may not be listed or even eligible for listing, but hold a special place in my heart.  (Yes, buildings can hold a place in your heart.  Several districts in New Orleans come to mind.)  I'll be posting on some of those as well.  So, this blog is really a personal effort to grow as a preservationist and to help make Alaska feel more like home to me.

OK, Back to cool buildings!

The Federal Building is located right across the street from the Fourth Avenue Theater in the heart of downtown Anchorage.  (I'm seeing the need for maps...)  It was designed by the California-based architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood and constructed in 1939-41.  Described as "New Deal Concrete", this massive structure takes up and entire city block and has changed very little since its construction.  I have yet to go inside, but I have been to the reindeer sausage hot dog stand out front, which are made out of no more than 10% reindeer meat.  Go figure. 

And due to traffic, trees and my very little digital camera, I couldn't get a really good shot of this big, big building.  Luckily, the Alaska Digital Archives and the NR database have some great photos:

This last photo is when Alaska became the 49th state in 1959. 

The Fourth Avenue Theater (Anchorage, AK)

I figured I'd start with one of my favorites.  This is the Fourth Avenue Theater located in downtown Anchorage.  It was designed by B. Marcus Priteca and Augustine A. Poreca between 1941 and 1947.  It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. 

It truly is an art deco gem here in Alaska.  However, it is currently sitting vacant.  The Alaska Association for Historic Preservation had it listed on the 10 Most Endangered Properties List in 2008.  Let's hope this theater can be brought back into use.  Nothing sadder than an empty building (well, one being demolished is technically more sad, but still...)

And here's a little 1980s retro HABS photo with a more, er, "rustic" color palette:

And the current "Miami Vice" color scheme:

For Starters...

Greeting from Alaska! As a new resident, I've been trying to find my niche here. I'm a New Yorker who always considered herself an urbanite first and foremost. However, moving to a state that is famous for its natural beauty (and man, it is beautiful), I've been struggling to figure out where I fit in. My profession is in the field of Historic Preservation. This is a field that focuses on man-made beauties, buildings. The buildings of Alaska (and I'll focus on Anchorage for now, as it is where I live) appear to be built for the sake of expediency and utility. Shelter. The rugged land, scarce building supplies, frigid temperatures and frontier mentality have created a building type that is distinctly Alaskan. I hope to share my findings with you as I learn more about the historic structures of Alaska.