REFERENCE CODE: AkAMH

REPOSITORY NAME:
Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center
Bob and Evangeline Atwood Alaska Resource Center
625 C Street
Anchorage, AK 99501
Phone: 907-929-9235
Fax: 907-929-9233
Email: resourcecenter@anchoragemuseum.org

Guide prepared by: Sara Piasecki, Archivist

TITLE: Government Hill Housing Projects Collection

COLLECTION NUMBER: B1959.x.001

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION

Dates: 1947-1951

Extent: 2 boxes; 0.6 linear feet

Language and Scripts: The collection is in English.

Name of creator(s): unknown

Administrative/Biographical History:
The Government Hill Housing Project was a development project begun in the 1940s in
Anchorage, Alaska. Faced with limited housing for Alaska Railroad employees around World
War II, the Alaska Railroad proposed to the Anchorage City Council that a Quonset hut
community for two hundred railroad workers and their families be built on Government Hill.
Surplus Quonset huts were transferred from the U.S. Army bases in Whittier and Dutch Harbor
and re-erected on parcels in Government Hill. One hundred sixty-five Quonset huts, a church
and a Teen Town were erected before the project was cut short due to lack of funds and
materials in late 1948.

Scope and Content Description:
The collection consists of 74 black-and-white photographs and 114 negatives. Images 75-124
are present in negative only; 63 of the 74 prints have corresponding negatives. These images
document the housing project in the summer of 1947, with images of the completed Quonset
community, other single dwelling homes under construction, the construction of Richardson
Vista, and a groundbreaking ceremony from August 22, 1949. For more information, see
Detailed Description of Collection.


Arrangement: Arranged chronologically


CONDITIONS GOVERNING ACCESS AND USE

Restrictions on Access: The collection is open for research use.

Physical Access: Original items in good condition.

Technical Access: No special equipment is needed to access the materials.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use:
The Anchorage Museum is the owner of the materials and makes available reproductions for
research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the
Anchorage Museum before any reproduction use. The Anchorage Museum does not
necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission
for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.

Preferred Citation:
Government Hill Housing Projects Collection, Anchorage Museum, B1959.x.001


ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

Acquisition and Appraisal Information
Donated to Cook Inlet Historical Society and accessioned in 1959. Donor name not found in
CIHS inventory. Transferred to Anchorage Museum.

Processing Note
Guide created from card catalog data and accession file inventory; photographs not physically
consulted at time of writing.

RELATED MATERIALS
Lloyd E. Brewer Photographs, B2005.023


SUBJECTS
Alaska Railroad
United States. Army, Alaska
Housing—Alaska—Anchorage
Quonset huts—Alaska—Anchorage
Government Hill (Anchorage, Alaska)
Anchorage (Alaska)


Detailed Description of the Collection
 1 — Summer of 1947, construction of housing project [Quonsets]
 2 — Frame of Quonset hut, 1947
 3 — Building Quonset hut, 1947
 4 — Building Quonset hut, 1947
 5 — Frame of Quonset, 1947
 6 — Quonsets, summer 1947
 7 — Housing project, summer 1947 [same as .6]
 8 — Rows of housing, summer 1947 [same as .6]
 9 — Quonset huts, summer 1947 [same as .6]
 10 — Quonsets and building material, summer 1947
 11 — Housing, beginning construction, summer 1947
 12 — Row of Quonsets in construction process, summer 1947
 13 — Housing and building material, summer 1947 [same as .12]
 14 — Construction equipment and materials, Quonsets and crane, summer 1947
 15 — Overall view of housing project, summer 1947
 16 — Row of Quonsets
 17 — Housing and building materials
 18 — Rows of housing
 19 — Row of Quonsets
 20 — Rows of housing
 21 — Aerial view of housing project looking east, 12-8-47
 22 — Aerial view of housing project looking toward Knik Arm, 12-8-47
23 — Aerial view of housing project looking toward Mt. Susitna, 12-8-47
 24 — Aerial view of housing, 12-8-47
 25 — View from water tower, 12-8-47
 26 — Row of Quonsets, 12-8-47
 27 — Aerial view of housing project, 12-8-47 [with Mt. Susitna. Same as .26]
 28 — Dusty street conditions on Government Hill, 6-2-48
 29 — Filling yards with topsoil for gardens and also to relieve dust conditions
 30 —Dust in street of Govt. Hill, 6-2-48
 31 — Govt. Hill housing, May 3, 1949
 32 — Govt. Hill housing, May 3, 1949 [same as .31]
 33 — Govt. Hill housing, May 3, 1949 [same as .31]
 34 — New steel houses, Govt. Hill, 5-3-49 [same as .31]
 35 — Virtually tundra and wildflowers when his picture was recorded 6-29-49, this area on Govt. Hill was soon turned into a beehive of activity as work commenced on a joint Army- Railroad housing project under contract to the Lewis Construction Co. of Seattle. Project 83P
 36 — Field of wildflowers [similar to .35]
 37 — A field prior to construction, 6-29-49. Project 8370
 38 — Field of wildflowers [with Quonsets]
 39 — Land prior to construction
 40 — Survey crew standing in front of a vehicle
 41 —50 – Project 8370
 51 — [same as .48]
 52 — Govt. Hill housing, 4-18-50
 53 — Govt. Hill housing, 4-18-50
54 — Govt. Hill housing, 4-18-50
 55 — Govt. Hill housing, 4-18-50
 56 — Industrial area by Ship Creek bottom of Govt. Hill
 57 — Proposed apt. house area
 58 — Proposed apt. house area
 59 — Proposed apt. house area
 60 — Proposed apt. house area
 61 — Proposed apt. house area
 62 — Proposed apt. house area
 63 — Proposed apt. house area [JPJ lot]
 64 — Proposed apt. house area
 65 — Proposed apt. house area
 66 — Proposed apt. house area
 67 — Proposed apt. house area
 68 — Proposed apt. house area
 69 — Aerial view of Govt. Hill
 70 — Interior view of house
 71 — Interior view of house
 72 — Groundbreaking ceremony
 73 — Groundbreaking ceremony
 74 — Groundbreaking ceremony [with unidentified men]
 75 — Groundbreaking ceremony [with group of people]
 76 — Groundbreaking ceremony
 77 — Groundbreaking ceremony
 78 — Groundbreaking ceremony [machines]
 79 — Groundbreaking ceremony
 80 —90– Groundbreaking ceremony
 91 —101 – Groundbreaking ceremony
 101 —110 – Groundbreaking ceremony
 111 —119 – Groundbreaking ceremony
 120 —124 – Groundbreaking ceremony [interiors] Guide updated: August 2, 2016