Alaska Department of Natural Resources

Office of History and Archaeology

Alaska Historical Commission Meeting Docket

Fall Meeting: October 3, 2024

AGENDA

Certified Local Government Grants
The AHC will consider two CLG applications from the Municipality of Anchorage. The total grant request is $79,500. The minimum 10% required for CLGs for HPF-24 is $139,523. OHA expects to open a second CLG grant round in early 2025.

Municipality of Anchorage - Government Hill Wireless Station HSR – Phase II - $30,000
This project is a second-phase continuation of the Government Hill Wireless Station Historic Structure Report (HSR) and pre-development property stabilization work. The Municipality (MOA) recently completed a first-phase HSR through the CLG Grant project (#22005). The second-phase HSR is essential to support continued, time-sensitive efforts to rehabilitate this historic property as recommended in the first-phase HSR, which assessed that the building is in an advanced stage of deterioration and needs stabilization soon.

Completed Grant Application for MoA-Government Hill Wireless Station HSR - Phase II project

Municipality of Anchorage - Old Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church (Eklutna Chapel) Restoration - $49,500
Russian Orthodox Sacred Sites in Alaska, Inc (ROSSIA) will complete the Old Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church (Eklutna Chapel) restoration. The old St. Nicholas church was constructed in Knik, Alaska, around 1870 or as early as 1830. The old St. Nicholas church is the oldest building still standing in the greater Anchorage area. Work priorities include exterior and interior restoration. Exterior work includes removing the bell tower (completed), lifting the chapel, doing foundation work, re-roofing, and re-chinking. Interior work will consist of new heating and electrical systems, insulations, sheetrock, painting, and fire suppression.

Completed Grant Application for MOA - Old Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church (Eklutna Chapel) Restoration Project

National Register of Historic Places

Chena Building National Register Nomination
The Chena Building is a rare surviving example of a commercial-style false-front building in Interior Alaska. The 120-ca.-year-old, one-story building is situated on the north bank of the Tanana River, nine miles downriver from Fairbanks, in the vicinity of the Chena Townsite Historic Archaeological District. The building's period of significance starts with its construction sometime after 1905ca., paralleling a stampede to interior Alaska sparked by Felix Pedro's discovery of gold in 1902 and the establishment of the riverside town of Chena built to accommodate gold rush participants heading to the goldfields in 1904.22 The building's significance ends around 1922, when social and commercial trends after World War I led to the boomtown's bust and abandonment, marking the final extension of frontier economics in the American West.

The Chena Building, like many of Alaska's early 20th-century structures, endured several moves, reuses, and eventual neglect between the 1920s and 2020s, while large-scale shifts in the river's course eroded all visual evidence of the Chena townsite. Through a private donation to the State of Alaska, the Chena Building has returned to its historic location, where today, the Alaska State Parks and Outdoor Recreation operates a boat launch and picnic area. While somewhat decrepit and needing repair, the Chena Building's character-defining features continue to convey the town's early economic optimism and speak to the significant historical areas of commerce and community settlement. Thus, the Chena Building is significant on a local level under Criterion A for its association with Fairbanks' gold rush era, the settlement of Chena, its lost competition to Fairbanks, and interior Alaska's boom and bust economy. It also qualifies for listing under Consideration B because moving the building from the original location saved it from the erosional fate of Chena's built environment, thereby making the Chena Building the last standing remnant of the lost townsite at Chena. The Chena Building's return to the historic Chena townsite serves as an excellent interpretive reminder of the long-vanished boomtown, its relationship to the river, and its oft-forgotten contribution to Fairbanks' history.

Chena Building NR Nomination
Map

Buildings and railroad cars in Chena, seen from Tanana River, Alaska. 1914. University of Washington Libraries and Special Collections. The image illustrates an excellent example of the use of false-front architectural style found in early settlements of Interior Alaska.
Buildings and railroad cars in Chena, seen from Tanana River, Alaska. 1914. University of Washington Libraries and Special Collections. The image illustrates an excellent example of the use of false-front architectural style found in early settlements of Interior Alaska.

The northwest elevation of the Chena Building, April 2024. Returned to Alaska State Parks Chena Pump Wayside, the site of the now vanished historic Chena Townsite, the Chena Building, a remarkable survivor, stands as a testament to the commercial properties of interior Alaska during the gold rush era. Its resilience is evident in its journey from the establishment of Chena in 1905 to the town's fall, a period marked by its interpretive value and the significance of its rediscovery and return to the original historic townsite after more than 100 years. This unique journey supports the Chena Building's nomination under Criteria A, making it a truly exceptional piece of history.
The northwest elevation of the Chena Building, April 2024. Returned to Alaska State Parks Chena Pump Wayside, the site of the now vanished historic Chena Townsite, the Chena Building, a remarkable survivor, stands as a testament to the commercial properties of interior Alaska during the gold rush era. Its resilience is evident in its journey from the establishment of Chena in 1905 to the town's fall, a period marked by its interpretive value and the significance of its rediscovery and return to the original historic townsite after more than 100 years. This unique journey supports the Chena Building's nomination under Criteria A, making it a truly exceptional piece of history.

Chena, 1914
Businesses along the railroad tracks in Chena. 1914 ca. Note that false-front buildings line the street. Asahel Curtis Klondike-Alaska Photographs, University of Washington Libraries and Special Collections.


Geographic Names Proposals

Mount Carola
Proposal
Map
Resolution

Arkose Peak
Proposal
Map
Resolution

Souvenir Peak
Proposal
Map
Resolution

Winter Meeting, Thursday, February 29, 2024

The Alaska Historical Commission will meet via Microsoft Teams on Thursday, February 29, from 9 am to noon, to review Certified Local Government (CLG) and Historic Preservation grant applications. Additionally, commission members will review one Geographic Name proposal, a peak in Chugach State Park, tabled during the November 16 meeting, and hear updates on other preservation activities. Any person or group wishing to address the Commission on grant applications or other issues concerning history or historic preservation is invited to participate in the public comment session starting at 10:00 am. Those wishing to comment by phone or listen to the meeting must make arrangements in advance by calling (907) 269-8714, emailing dnr.oha@alaska.gov, or writing to the Office of History and Archaeology, Alaska Department of Natural Resources, 550 W. Seventh Ave., Suite 1310, Anchorage, AK 99501-3565.

Tentative Meeting Agenda for February 29, 2024

List of Cerifed Local Government grant applications
On November 17, 2023, OHA announced another round of CLG 60-40 Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) matching grant projects. A summary of the nine grant applications received is included in the grant section of this update and will be considered for funding at the February 29 meeting. On January 22, 2024, OHA received nine (9) CLG grant applications for a total of $202,408.

City of Cordova: Historic Walking Tour Update – $2,579

City of Cordova: Survey – $9,031

City of Ketchikan: Historic Preservation Plan: Phase 2 – $35,000.

City of Ketchikan: Pioneer Hall Foundation Stabilization – $50,000

City of Ketchikan: Yates Nomination – $7,200

City of Kodiak: Historic Preservation Plan – $50,000

City of Seward: Walking Tour Update – $9,727

FNSB/City of Fairbanks: HP Interp Display – $31,050

Municipality of Anchorage: Local Historic Resources Survey Database – $6,000

List of Historic Preservation grant applications
On November 17, 2023, OHA announceda call for Historic Preservation grants for 50-50 matching grant projects. On January 22, 2024, OHA received 17 Historic Preservation grant applications for a total of $602,940.

Ballaine House Restoration - $25,000

Brown & Hawkins Fire Suppression Installation (2nd Phase) – $50,000

Eldred Rock Lighthouse Pre-development – $6,500

Fort McGilvray Preservation Plan – $47,965

Pioneer Hall Foundation Stabilization – $40,000

Japonski Island Boathouse Fire Suppression (2nd Phase) – $45,000

Mayflower Building Handrail Rehabilitation – $11,258

Pilgrim Hot Springs Cultural Resources Management Plan – $47,384

Rapuzzi House (NHL) Restoration – $25,000

Old Saint Nicholas (Eklutna Chapel) Restoration – $50,000

Sentinel Island Lighthouse Rehabilitation – $50,000

Sheldon Jackson (NHL) School Porch, Steps & Walkways – $36,700

Sheldon Jackson (NHL) Sage Hall Turbine Room Rehabilitation – $35,538

Snug Harbor Cannery Historic Building Condition Assessment – $15,000

St. Peter's by the Sea Stone Butrress Repairs – $30,000

Van Gilder Hotel Rehabilitation – $50,000

Weatherell Cabin Rehabilitation – $37,595

Geographic Names Reports and Maps

Mount Elliott