The Historic Preservation Commission of the FNSB and the City of Fairbanks

The Historic Preservation Commission

of the Fairbanks North Star Borough & the City of Fairbanks

Purpose

In Fairbanks, we are proud of our rugged pioneeering past. Old buildings, broken artifacts, unchanged streetscapes and archaeological sites, show us glimpses of other times and how we came to be. The Historic Commission would like to preserve our historic resources.

Like other communities throughout the United States, we recognize the importance of our unique historical development. The Alaskan interior has a rich history beginning with abundant Ice Age fossils and sites. Athabaskan Indian tribes have hunted and fished throughout the region since early times.

The discovery of gold, World War II activities, and the North Slope oil fields transformed the Fairbanks area into the regional center of Interior Alaska. We are fortunate to retain a great many of the treasures from our past.

Unfortunately like other communities we, too, are steadily losing our historical resources. During the summer of 1992, the oldest commercial structure in Fairbanks, the Northern Commercial Company, was torn down to make way for a parking lot. Efforts to save this turn of the century commercial structure by relocating it failed for lack of funding and coordination.

Today, there are other historical treasures in Fairbanks that are in jeopardy of being destroyed. As our community continues to grow there will be increased development pressure on historical resources.

The vision of economic growth is usually suburban sprawl and new shopping centers. However, by revitalizing downtown areas and stimulating business activity, preserving our heritage makes economic sense as well. Local entrepreneurs have revitalized historic resources into thriving restaurants, viable retail enterprises, and exciting tourist attractions.

Fairbanks North Star Borough Historic Resource Inventory

Historic Districts

Gold Dredge NO. 8
Chatanika Gold Camp
Ester Camp Historic District
The Pump House

National Register of Historic Places

George C. Thomas Memorial Library
Sternwheeler Nenana
Rainey's Cabin
Immaculate Conception Church
Creamer's Dairy
Harding Railroad Car
U.S. Federal Building
Wickersham House
Chatanika Gold Camp
Falcon Joslin House
Masonic Temple
Oddfellows Hall
Chena Pump House
Clay Street Cemetery
Mary Lee Davis House
Goldstream Dredge No. 8
Ladd Field
Ester Camp Historic District
Lacey Street Theatre
Main School
Rose Building
Discovery Claim on Pedro Creek

Commission Responsibilities

As part of a community effort to preserve our heritage, the Commission on Historic Preservation was formed in 1986. The Commission was directed by ordinance to:

maintain and protect an inventory of our area's historical resources,
establish historic districts within the Fairbanks North Star Borough,
develop a historic preservation plan
review and recommend nominations to the National Register of Historic Places
review and make recommendations on local construction and development projects
develop a plan for continuing education of community residents, and
recommend actions to enforce our mandate and the Alaska Historic Preservation Act.

Preserving Our Heritage

The Commission has addressed its mandate and the problem of preserving our nonrenewable historic resources by obtaining Certified Local Government (CLG) status to be eligible for enhanced participation in state and national preservation programs.

Under this program the commission has begun to implement items in our local Historic Preservation Plan. Grant funds from this program have supported:

public education of the kinds and significance of historic resources within our local area and development of a working relationship between local residents and the commission
preparation of an historic resource inventory. The database will map historic sites within the borough and coordinate this information with the Department of Community Planning location maps and the State of Alaska Heritage Resources Survey. The database will help us maintain and protect our historic resources.

What are Historic Resources

Historic Resources can be divided into four categories.

Architectural History: is reviewed in our buildings, the tangible expressions of our community. Changing styles and structures tell us a lot about how our community grew and developed over time.
Archaeological Sites: document the peopling of North America as long ago as 10,000 years. Many sites within the Borough also give us insights about later Native cultures.
Historical Events and people involved: such as the Gold Rush, and World War II have left an indelible record in the region, through trails and navigation routes, documented with written records, oral histories or photographs.
Paleontological Record: numerous Ice Age animals roamed throughout the interior region during the Pleistocene. Evidence of their existence is often uncovered during construction, mining and renovation activities.

How to Make Nominations to the National Register of Historic Places

One of the commission's responsibilities is to review and make recommendations of properties to the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register is a formal nationwide list of sites and structures of national, state, and local importance under the provisions of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.

Our local nominations are reviewed by the Alaska Historical Commission and the State Preservation Officer who forwards eligible nominations to the Keeper of the register.

To help us protect and maintain our historic buildings the commission needs your support. The review and nomination process includes your participation. Almost all of the sites within our area that are listed on the National Register have been promoted by local volunteers.

Historic Preservation Review Process

Application received at Department of Coommunity Planning
Historic Preservation Commision reviews and makes recommendations; holds public hearings.
Planning Commission holds public hearing; forwards recommendation to Borough Assembly.
Borough Assembly
1. Approve
2. Disapprove
3. Amend

Benefits of National Listing

Public and private preservation projects placed on the register are eligible for public funds for restoration. Public buildings and places that have been restored in Fairbanks include the Sternwheeler Nenana, Creamer's Dairy, U.S. Courthouse, and the Harding Railroad Car.

Local property and home owners are also eligible for tax incentives to offset the costs of preservation, restoration and rehabilitation.

Your Support is Vital

To preserve our community's historical resources the Commission needs your support. Report any historical finds to an appropriate authority.

don't damage historical resources
advocate public policies that support preservation
support local preservation efforts.

Commission meetings are open to the public and are held on the first Monday of each month in the FNSB Assembly Chambers. Residents interested in serving on the Commission are encouraged to apply.

Resources

Local Resources

Fairbanks: A City Historic Building Survey,: by Janet Matheson, 1978.
Historic Resources in the Fairbanks North Star Borough,: a report prepared for the FNSB Planning Dept. by Janet Matheson and F. Bruce Haldeman, 1981.
Property Owner's Guide to establishing Historic Districts in the City of Fairbanks: by Paula Greuel, 1987.
Fairbanks Historic Preservation Foundation
Tanana Yukon Historical Society
Fairbanks Main Street Program
Historic Preservation Commission: c/o FNSB Community Planning Dept.
PO Box 71267
Fairbanks, AK 99707-1267

State/Federal Resources

State Historic Preservation Officer: Division of Parks and Outdoor Rec.
Office of History and Archaeology
PO Box 107001
Anchorage, AK 99510-7001
National Park Service: Alaska Region.
2525 Gambell St.
Anchorage, AK 99503
National Trust for Historic Preservation: Western Reg. Office
One Sutter St., Suite 707
San Francisco, CA 94104

The original publication on which this web page is based has been financed in part with Federal funds from the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, and through the assistance of the Office of History and Archaeology, Department of Natural Resources. However, the contents and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of the Interior, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial prodcuts constitute endoresement or recommendation by the Department of the Interior or the Department of Natural Resources.

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