Anchorage Hotel, Anchorage

The Historic Anchorage Hotel carries a legacy rooted in the city鈥檚 early days. Originally constructed in 1916 by C.B. Wark, the hotel began as a modest wood-frame structure but soon took on a new face in 1917 when Frank Reed transformed it into a luxury establishment. As Anchorage expanded in the 1930s, so did the need for more accommodations, leading to the construction of the Anchorage Hotel Annex in 1936, designed in Gothic style by architect E. Ellsworth Sedille. This new addition quickly became one of the city鈥檚 tallest buildings, embodying Anchorage鈥檚 ambitious growth.

Throughout its heyday, the Historic Anchorage Hotel hosted several notable guests, including President Warren Harding, Interior Secretary Harold L. Ickes, and entertainment icons like Walt Disney. Adventurers Wiley Post and Will Rogers also stayed here, tragically only two days before their fatal plane crash. Adding to the hotel鈥檚 artistic heritage, landscape painter Sidney Laurence occasionally resided at the hotel, famously exchanging a painting of Mount McKinley for a year鈥檚 rent.

Despite its prominence, the hotel鈥檚 fortunes waned in the 1950s, leading to the demolition of the original building in the 1960s, while the annex struggled under different managements, even being renamed the Hotel Ronald Lee. The hotel鈥檚 revival began in the late 1980s, thanks to Bob and Carolyn Neumann, who restored its former charm, returning it to its original name. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999, the Historic Anchorage Hotel remains a cherished relic of Anchorage鈥檚 storied past, blending history with hospitality for today鈥檚 visitors.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Anchorage. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "51爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: Anchorage Hotel
Sight Location: Anchorage, USA (See walking tours in Anchorage)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Anchorage Historical Buildings

Walking Tours in Anchorage, Alaska

Create Your Own Walk in Anchorage

Creating your own self-guided walk in Anchorage is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.

Anchorage Historical Buildings

As a perfect basecamp for exploring much of what Alaska has to offer, Anchorage is the font of the state鈥檚 history. The Downtown鈥檚 convenient grid pattern 鈥� compact enough to be walked by curious visitors ready to explore the 49th state's largest and most important city 鈥� was set up at the same time as the construction started on the Government Hill neighborhood in 1915.

Many of... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.7 Km or 1.7 Miles

Anchorage Introduction Walking Tour

Anchorage was settled in 1914 and incorporated as a city six years later. It was named after a hardware and clothing store that was held in a dry-docked steamship nearby. That store was called "The Anchorage." The city holds almost half of the population of Alaska and is one of the largest cities by area in the United States.

Though Anchorage was settled in the 20th century,... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.7 Km or 1.7 Miles

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