The Alaska Contractor - Summer 2008

Anchorage Assemblyman Chris Birch admires the view
from the south windows of the ballroom in the new
Dena’ina Convention Center during a walk-through
inspection by the Anchorage Assembly in March.
Destination
Downtown:
The Changing Face
of Anchorage
STORY AND PHOTOS BY ROB STAPLETON
It’s a bit funny when you think about how Anchorage
got its start on the banks of Ship Creek and
the Knik Arm as a railroad camp. Selected as the
mid-point construction ca mp for the Alaska Railroad
– Anchorage full of tough workers was soon to
grow into its own city.
Tents lined the creek and a smattering of single-
and two-story buildings rose from the mud to
eventually become Alaska’s largest city.
A trip by dog team from Seward along the Johnson
Trail, by boat, or the railroad were the only means of
traversing the mountains and waters of southcentral Alaska
into the upper Cook Inlet in the early days.
In 1915 the U.S. government auctioned off 655 50’ x 140’
lots in three days. The first lot sold for $825 – today the same
downtown lot could sell for more than $1 million.
Downtown Anchorage is far different from those gold
rush days of the early 1900s. Today it bustles with businesses,
restaurants, conventions and travelers eager to experience
the wonders of Alaska.
Some say that the motivation to rebuild Anchorage came
from the disaster and destruction of the 1964 earthquake,
Anchorage has always spiced up the city with plants, now hanging plants are part of the
streetlights along Fourth, Fifth and Sixth avenues. Beyond this hanging plant in front of
Cafe Savannah is the recently remodeled JC Penney’s downtown parking garage.
others say planning and vision are driving the city to revitalize
its downtown.
Despite the rivalry between Anchorage and other Alaska
cities, there is no denying the face of downtown Anchorage
is changing into a major metropolitan city.
An entity called Destination Downtown is facilitating
the 11 major construction projects taking place downtown.
It also is responsible for the thrust of the makeover at downtown
Anchorage – to keep Anchorage as a contemporary
northern latitude city with amenities that support the lively
lifestyles of the community throughout the entire year.
“Anchorage is a cosmopolitan city with a downtown that