House Hunting (or how I learned to like non-historic buildings)

As most of you know, Nick and I have put an offer on a house and are waiting (anxiously) to close.  The house was built in 1975, has been stripped of all 70s-retro-ness and is located in a South Anchorage subdivision.  This post is more me trying to rationalize how a preservationist didn't put an offer on a historic structure than anything else.   I was almost positive that my first house would have brackets.  Ornate Eastlake brackets like the one below:

But as I decided to leave New Orleans, I soon realized that I may not be able to find the side-hall shotgun with decorative wood detailing in Alaska.  So I focused more of my efforts and interest on the Minimal Traditional house which seemed so plentiful surrounding downtown Anchorage.  The Minimal Traditional house is pretty prevalent throughout the United States.  Most of the houses were funded through the Federal Housing Administration and provided WWII veterans with affordable and modest housing after returning home.  They were typically traditional in style and form.  Most took the Cape Cod form.  They were also very modest.  The houses tended to be two bedroom one-story homes with under 800 sq ft of living space.  Here is a great example of an un-altered Minimal Traditional house in the Fairview neighborhood, just east of downtown:

While the houses were cute (and that is a priority when searching for a home), they didn't really meet our needs.  Also, we were priced out of the neighborhood I wanted to live in (South Addition). 

I quickly realized that if we were going to have a 3-bedroom house with a yard (yard is Nick's requirement), I was going to have to change my criteria.  That meant looking at houses further south of downtown and more modern housing.  As someone who has a deep love for all things retro (mostly kitchens and furniture), the Split-Level seemed like best option for us.  This housing type was prevalent in Anchorage in the 1960s-1970s.  The main idea of the traditional Split-Level was to separate the public and entertaining spaces from the sleeping areas.  However, most of the Anchorage Split-Levels have a small vestibule at street level and stairs leading upstairs to the kitchen, formal living room and larger bedrooms and stairs leading down to the family room and smaller kids' bedrooms below.  Here is an example of a Split-Level in Rogers Park.  It was on the market for most of the winter, but by the time we were looking, it got snapped up:

We looked at several Split-Levels within our price range.  Unfortunately, our price range didn't seem to include a functioning roofing system.  After getting slightly discouraged, our real estate broker told us about a house way south of where we were looking.  I was reluctant to look at something so far away and when he forwarded us the photos, I thought "meh, no historic character."  That comment spawned an hour long conversation with Nick on the definition of character.  It was painful trying to explain why a house had to have old and outdated features to be an enjoyable place to live.  I'm still not sure why, but it does.  However, as Nick and I are here for the long-haul, we had to compromise if we were going to be homeowners.  So we put an offer on the non-descript 2-story (not even a Split-Level) house in the South Anchorage subdivision.  We are still waiting to close, but if things work out according to the real estate gods, we should be moving in at the end or the month.

So, since putting the offer on the house, I've been trying to figure out ways to retro-fy the house.  Luckily, I've managed to find quite a few mid-century modern pieces on craigslist and have been playing with color (thanks to the Sherwin Williams website).  So here's the kitchen in Aqua: 

Once the deal is sealed, I'll be posting more on the house and making it a retro home.  More to come...

It's all in the details

Wow, I can't believe it's been over a month since my last post.  My first Alaskan summer is flying by (feels like it's raining by too.)  I have had the opportunity to see some amazing things this summer.  Some of the highlights were: a herd of musk ox chillin' near a Coast Guard Station, the musk ox farm in Palmer (yes, I like the musk ox), the red light district of Ketchikan, a sunny trip to Denali with bears everywhere (but not too close), hiking in a rain forest in the rain, camping on the Kenai Lake, the Arctic Studies Center at the museum, exploring the local farmers' markets and being able to test out my new bike and explore new neighborhoods. 

This post is just a sampling of some interesting little things I've noticed around town and throughout my travels.  Hope you enjoy!

Some inviting shutters at Savage Cabin in Denali National Park.  I'm assuming it's a bear deterrent, but probably works well on us overly curious folks as well. 

The Central Building entrance located on G St. and 3rd Ave.  The building had this great mid-century modern signage.  The rest of the building is pretty nice (original windows and some decorative concrete design), but there's a strange stone facade added to the first floor which is pretty distracting.  I imagine the inside might have some interesting retro detailing, but I wasn't sure if central meant public. (I'm also a bit more leery entering private property in a state with so many guns, but I digress.)

 

Metal grating near the Oscar Anderson House.  When I went by the house it wasn't open yet, but I did get to walk the perimeter and see all the decorative details on and around the house that is generally lacking in most of the buildings around Anchorage.  It's definitely the nicest little craftsman I've seen in Anchorage.

The Igloo Hotel, Cantwell, AK.  When we were driving up to Denali I got super excited when I saw this (those who know me know why), but we had a convoy going on, so we couldn't stop.  So I tried taking a photo on the way back, but I was too quick, then too slow.  So this is the best shot.  Turns out this building was just named as one of the 10 most endangered historic properties in Alaska by the Alaska Association for Historic Preservation.  Apparently, it's been sitting vacant for quite some time.  It's the only kitschy roadside architecture (which I love) that I've seen so far in Alaska. 

Inside the Heavy Duty Shed, Port Clarence, AK.  I was sent up to Port Clarence to document a Coast Guard Station that was going to be decommissioned.  This was the highlight architecturally speaking.  The exterior was all corrugated metal, so I assumed it was just a metal-framed structure.  I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this elaborate wood truss system.  The building pre-dates the coasties.  It was constructed shortly after WWII and is in great condition.

Musk ox!  There were the guys just hanging out with the coasties.  They are rapidly becoming my favorite pre-historic looking animal.  I especially love their "horn-do". 

Some toes from a totem pole in Ketchikan, AK.

A retro mailbox along Married Man's Trail.  Ketchikan, AK

Retro signage from Stewart's Photo Shop on 4th Avenue, Anchorage, AK. The entire facade is perfectly 50's.  I'm not sure how it's survived.  But as I just got a scratch on the lens of my camera, I may stop by and see what they can do.

That's all for now.  I've got dozens more to share, but the sun is setting and bedtime is near.