Mid-Twentieth Century Architecture in Alaska Historic Context

367 Pages·2017·12.95 MB·English

by  Frank Broderick

Mid-Twentieth
Century
Architecture
in Alaska
Historic Context
(1945-1968)
Prepared by Amy Ramirez . Jeanne Lambin . Robert L. Meinhardt . and Casey Woster 2016
The Cultural Resource Programs of the National Park Service have
responsibilities that include stewardship of historic buildings, museum
collections, archeological sites, cultural landscapes, oral and written
histories, and ethnographic resources.
The material is based upon work assisted by funding from the National
Park Service. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations
expressed in this material are those of the author and do not necessarily
reflect the views of the Department of the Interior.
Printed 2018
Cover: Atwood Center, Alaska Pacific University, Anchorage, 2017,
NPS photograph
MID-TWENTIETH CENTURY ARCHITECTURE IN ALASKA
HISTORIC CONTEXT (1945 – 1968)

Prepared for
National Park Service, Alaska Regional Office

Prepared by
Amy Ramirez, B.A.
Jeanne Lambin, M.S.
Robert L. Meinhardt, M.A.
and
Casey Woster, M.A.

July 2016
Table of Contents

LIST OF ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................... 5  
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................... 8  
1.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ..................................................................................................................... 9  
1.1 Historic Context as a Planning & Evaluation Tool ............................................................................. 9  
1.2 Objectives and Methodology .............................................................................................................. 9  
1.2.1 How to Use This Context Statement .......................................................................................... 10  
1.2.2 Project Methodology .................................................................................................................. 10  
1.2.3 Limitations and Challenges of Research .................................................................................... 12  
1.2.4 Historic Preservation and Preserving the Recent Past in Alaska ............................................... 12  
1.2.5 Unique Challenges to Preserving the Recent Past ..................................................................... 15  
1.3 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................ 18  
2.0 HISTORIC CONTEXT STATEMENT-OVERVIEW OF THEMES .................................................. 18  
2.1 Population ......................................................................................................................................... 19  
2.1.2 Alaska Native Population ........................................................................................................... 21  
2.1.3 Asian Migration ......................................................................................................................... 24  
2.1.4 Filipino Migration ...................................................................................................................... 25  
2.1.5 African-Americans ..................................................................................................................... 25  
2.1.6 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 27  
2.2 Military .............................................................................................................................................. 28  
2.2.1 Cold War .................................................................................................................................... 28  
2.2.2 Detect and Monitor .................................................................................................................... 29  
2.2.3 Communicate ............................................................................................................................. 32  
2.2.4 Intercept and Respond ................................................................................................................ 33  
2.2.5 Guard and Defend ...................................................................................................................... 39  
2.2.6 Tomorrow’s War ........................................................................................................................ 47  
2.2.7 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 53  
2.3 Statehood (1959) ............................................................................................................................... 53  
2.3.1 Alaska Statehood and Department Turnovers ........................................................................... 53  
2.4 1964 Good Friday Earthquake .......................................................................................................... 55  
2.4.1 Rebuilding and Recovery ........................................................................................................... 58  
2.5 Alaska Centennial ............................................................................................................................. 60  

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2.5.1 Alaska Centennial Commission ................................................................................................. 62  
2.5.2 Fairbanks and the Exposition Center ......................................................................................... 62  
2.5.3 Other Notable Centennial Efforts .............................................................................................. 63  
2.5.4 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 64  
2.6 Resource Exploration and Extraction ............................................................................................... 64  
2.6.1 Fisheries ..................................................................................................................................... 64  
2.6.2 Mining ........................................................................................................................................ 65  
2.6.3 Timber and Logging ................................................................................................................... 66  
2.6.4 Oil Boom .................................................................................................................................... 67  
2.6.5 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 70  
2.7 Transportation ................................................................................................................................... 71  
2.7.1 Roads .......................................................................................................................................... 71  
2.7.2 Aviation ...................................................................................................................................... 78  
2.7.3 Alaska Railroad Rehabilitation Project ...................................................................................... 79  
2.7.4 Alaska Marine Highway System ................................................................................................ 80  
2.8 Travel and Tourism ........................................................................................................................... 81  
2.8.1 Transportation Improvements Impact on Tourism .................................................................... 81  
2.8.2 Parks and Recreation .................................................................................................................. 83  
2.9 Education .......................................................................................................................................... 87  
2.9.1 Primary and Secondary Education ............................................................................................. 87  
2.9.2 Post-secondary Education .......................................................................................................... 89  
3.0 OVERVIEW OF POST-WWII ARCHITECTURE AND DEVELOPMENT IN ALASKA ............... 90  
3.1 Overview of Federal and State Funding Programs ........................................................................... 91  
3.2 Postwar Building Materials and Construction Techniques ............................................................... 94  
3.2.1 Construction Types .................................................................................................................... 95  
3.2.2 Materials ................................................................................................................................... 103  
3.2.3 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 114  
4.0 ARCHITECTURAL TYPES, STYLES AND DESIGN TRENDS .................................................... 114  
4.1 What Style (or Type) Is It? Style vs. Type ..................................................................................... 115  
4.2 Building Types and Design Trends in Alaska ................................................................................ 115  
4.2.1 Overview .................................................................................................................................. 115  
4.2.2 Climate Architecture & Seismic Architecture ......................................................................... 116  
4.2.3 Building Types ......................................................................................................................... 119  

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4.2.4 Architectural Styles .................................................................................................................. 181  
4.3 Architects, Builders, and Developers .............................................................................................. 183  
4.3.1 Introduction/Overview ............................................................................................................. 183  
4.3.2 Lists of Architects, Architectural Firms and Developers ......................................................... 183  
4.3.3 Biographies of Prominent Architects in Alaska from 1945 to 1968 ........................................ 184  
5.0 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................... 224  
5.1 Evaluation Challenges ..................................................................................................................... 224  
6.0 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH-LOOKING AHEAD .................................. 225  
Earthquake ............................................................................................................................................ 225  
Centennial ............................................................................................................................................. 225  
Population ............................................................................................................................................. 225  
Transportation ....................................................................................................................................... 226  
Residential ............................................................................................................................................. 226  
Architects/Architecture ......................................................................................................................... 226  
Themes for Additional Study ................................................................................................................ 226  
Evaluation Considerations/Guidelines .................................................................................................. 226  
Local Designation and National Register Listing ................................................................................. 227  
7.0 ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................... 228  
GENERAL ............................................................................................................................................ 228  
Resource Guides .............................................................................................................................. 228  
NATIONAL REGISTER, CONTEXT STATEMENTS AND MPD ................................................... 228  
National Register ............................................................................................................................. 228  
Multiple Property Submission ....................................................................................................... 228  
Determinations of Eligibility and Documentation ....................................................................... 229  
Historic Context Statements .......................................................................................................... 229  
Methodology, Reference, Preserving the Recent Past ................................................................. 231  
POPULATION ...................................................................................................................................... 232  
MILITARY ........................................................................................................................................... 236  
Cold War .......................................................................................................................................... 238  
STATEHOOD/ALASKA HISTORY ................................................................................................... 240  
1964 GOOD FRIDAY EARTHQUAKE .............................................................................................. 241  
CENTENNIAL ..................................................................................................................................... 242  
RESOURCE EXPLORATION/EXTRACTION .................................................................................. 243  

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TRANSPORTATION ........................................................................................................................... 245  
TRAVEL/TOURISM ............................................................................................................................ 248  
EDUCATION ....................................................................................................................................... 248  
POST-WWII BUILDINGS ................................................................................................................... 249  
Construction Types ........................................................................................................................... 249  
Manufactured Housing ...................................................................................................................... 249  
Quonset ............................................................................................................................................. 250  
A-Frame ............................................................................................................................................ 251  
Material Types .................................................................................................................................. 251  
BUILDING TYPES .............................................................................................................................. 252  
Earthquake and Seismic Architecture ............................................................................................... 252  
Residential Architecture .................................................................................................................... 252  
Commercial Architecture .................................................................................................................. 253  
Bank Architecture ............................................................................................................................. 254  
Shopping Malls ................................................................................................................................. 255  
Supermarkets ..................................................................................................................................... 255  
Civic/Government Architecture ........................................................................................................ 255  
Educational Architecture ................................................................................................................... 256  
Industrial Architecture ...................................................................................................................... 256  
Recreational Architecture ................................................................................................................. 256  
ARCHITECTURE ................................................................................................................................ 257  
Style Guides ...................................................................................................................................... 257  
Architects and Architects Directories ............................................................................................... 259
Appendix A: Alaska Historic Buildings Style Guide ....................................................................... 269
Appendix B: Architects Table ........................................................................................................... 310
Appendix C: Developers/Construction Companies .......................................................................... 347
Appendix D: Architects, Post-Period of Significance ..................................................................... 360

LIST OF ACRONYMS/ABBREVIATIONS
AAC Alaska Air Command
AASHTO American Association of State Highway Transportation
Officials
ACS Alaska Communications System

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AC&W Aircraft Control and Warning
AEC Atomic Energy Commission
AFB Air Force Base
AFN Alaska Federation of Natives
ALCANGO Alaskan Canadian Gas Oil
ALCOM Alaska Command
ANCSA Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act
ANPP Army Nuclear Power Program
ARC Alaska Road Commission
ARCO Atlantic Richfield Company
ARL Arctic Research Laboratory
ARRC Alaska Railroad Corporation
ASC Alaska Steamship Company
ASLP Alaska Spruce Log Program
BAREX Point Barrow Resupply Expedition)
BMEWS Ballistic Missile Early Warning System
BRC Board of Road Commissioners
CAA Civil Aeronautics Administration
CAB Civil Aeronautics Board
CMUs Concrete Masonry Units
CRTC Cold Regions Test Center
DEW Distant Early Warning
DOD Department of Defense
FAA Federal Aviation Agency
FAAP Federal Aid to Airports Program
FAHA Federal Aid Highways Act
FEPC Fair Employment Practices Committee
FHA Federal Housing Administration
FOBS Forward Operating Bases
GSA General Services Administration
GVEA Golden Valley Electric Association
HABS Historic American Building Survey
ICBM Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
LOP Line of Position
LORAN Long Range Aid to Navigation
MPD Multiple Property Documentation
NAACP National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People
NARL Naval Arctic Research Laboratory
NAS Naval Air Station
NHL National Historic Landmark
NHPA National Historic Preservation Act
NOA Northwest Orient Airlines

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NR National Register of Historic Places
NWTC Northern Warfare Training Center
OHA Office of History and Archaeology
ONR Office of Naval Research
OPEC Oil Petroleum Exporting Countries
PGES Platinum Group Elements
PX Post Exchange
ROCC Regional Operations Control Center
ROTC Reserve Officers’ Training Corps
SAC Strategic Air Command
SHPO State Historic Preservation Office
SLUP Special Land Use Permit
SM-1 Stationary Medium
TAPS Trans Alaska Pipeline System
TNSDS True North Sustainable Development Solutions
UAA University of Alaska Anchorage
UAF University of Alaska Fairbanks
USACE US Army Corps of Engineers
UCM Usibelli Coal Mine
USARAK US Army Alaska
USARAL US Army Alaska (1947 – 1974)
USCG US Coast Guard
USGS US Geological Survey
VA Veterans Affairs
WACS White Alice Communications System

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Mid-Twentieth Century Architecture in Alaska Historic Context is a document highlighting historical
events and architectural trends that shaped the built environment in Alaska from 1945 to 1968. The
architecture that rose from this period is a reflection of technological advances in building science, social
changes, and architectural innovation. The period from 1945 to 1968 was characterized by rapid growth,
improved infrastructure, and building construction brought on by a post-WWII economic boom and an
increasing population.

Nationwide sprawl occurred as highway expansion paved the path for a new way of life outside of the
urban city center including newly built residential neighborhoods, commercial malls, churches, schools
and medical facilities. Alaska was not immune to this pattern of development, as the territory-turned-state
became a strategic stronghold against the USSR throughout the Cold War era, bringing an influx of
military personnel, a need for improved infrastructure, and an accommodating housing stock for its
booming population. Discovery of large oil fields on the Kenai Peninsula and the North Slope also
spurred economic growth and investment from outside interests. The Good Friday Earthquake of 1964
was yet another catalyst of growth in Alaska as innovative design and construction became part of a
massive rebuilding effort. The housing crisis after World War II, combined with a subsequent oil boom
and a natural catastrophe attracted the interests of architects, builders, and developers from all over the
US to help shape Alaska’s future.

This historic context for Mid-Twentieth Century Architecture in Alaska was prepared for the National
Park Service Alaska Region to serve as a useful tool to help a diverse audience identify and evaluate
Alaskan architecture built between 1945 and 1968 for inclusion on the National Register of Historic
Places. Due to the recent age of the architecture, for which this context was developed, it is anticipated
research and survey of various architects, building types, and architectural styles will be ongoing;
therefore, the historic context provided herein will continue to be refined and new statements added at a
later date. Recommendations for future research are provided in this document to help advance the
ongoing effort to study Alaska’s mid-twentieth century architecture so it can be better understood and
preserved for future generations.

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