National Register of Historic Places

Federal Building

Fairbanks, Fairbanks North Star County, Alaska
Listed
August 1, 1978
Type
Building
Period
Early Republic
Ref No.
78003422

About this property

The Old Federal Building is a historic government building at Cushman Street and 3rd Avenue in Fairbanks, Alaska. When it was built in 1933, it was the most northern instance of concrete construction in the United States. It is a large building with three full-height floors and two smaller penthouse levels. The building's Art Deco styling includes V-shaped grooves set in pilasters that separate columns of windows and aluminum panels. The grooves are repeated in concrete spandrels above the top row of windows. Interior decoration includes terrazzo flooring, copious use of marble in walls and floors, and a pressed copper ceiling in the courtroom. The building was designed by Washington, D.C., architect George N. Ray, and built by William "Mac" MacDonald, who also later built the Federal Building in Nome. It originally housed the federal court, post office, and other federal government offices, and the decision to locate it in Fairbanks was critical to the rise of the city's importance; it now houses private offices. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Location

Fairbanks, Fairbanks North Star County, Alaska
64.84294, -147.72178

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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The Soldiers
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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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The Community
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Rivers & Rail
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Nearby Historic Sites

City Hall, Old
Industrial
0.1 mi
Lacey Street Theatre
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0.1 mi
Masonic Temple
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0.1 mi
Immaculate Conception Church
Industrial
0.2 mi
Clay Street Cemetery (AHRS Site No. FAI-164)
Listed
0.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Federal Building listed on the National Register?

Federal Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 1, 1978.

What type of historic resource is Federal Building?

Federal Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Federal Building?

The period of significance for Federal Building is recorded as the early_republic era.

Can I research the history near Federal Building?

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