Accession:

1964.x.6 CIHS McCutcheon


Photographs, 1964, Photographs of the Central Business District of Anchorage after the
Earthquake of 1964.

Donated. McCutcheon. P.O. Box 6144. Anchorage, AK 99502.

4 Photos.


CIHS McCutcheon B64.x.6

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of four photos of the Central Business District after the
Earthquake of 1964. The subjects of the photographs are the Cordova Building, the J.C.
Penny Building, and Mac’s Photo Shop. The collection is housed in the photo file
collection. Please see photo list for specific photograph information.

Historical Notes

The 1964 Alaska Earthquake or Good Friday Earthquake occurred on March 27,
1964 at 5:36 PM AST. The quake lasted for five minutes with a magnitude of 9.2.
Across south-central Alaska, ground fissures, collapsing buildings, and tsunamis directly
caused about 131 deaths. Most property damage occurred in Anchorage, 75 mi northwest
of the epicenter. Anchorage was not hit by tsunamis, but downtown Anchorage was
heavily damaged and parts of the city built on sandy bluffs near Cook Inlet, most notably
the Turnagain neighborhood, suffered landslide damage. Land overlooking the Ship
Creek valley near the Alaska Railroad yards also slid, destroying many acres of buildings
and city blocks in downtown Anchorage. Most other areas of the city were only
moderately damaged.

Donated. McCutcheon. Anchorage, AK. 2003 SLL

4 Photos.




Photo List

B64.x.6.1 Cordova Bldg. Rehabilitated
after 1964 earthquake
B&W 8 x 10 Earthquake, 1964 – Anchorage
B64.x.6.2 J.C. Penny Building, March
27, 1964
B&W 8 x 10* Earthquake, 1964 – Anchorage
– Central Business District
B64.x.6.3 Mac’s Photo Shop B&W 10 x 8 Earthquake, 1964 – Anchorage
– Central Business District
B64.x.6.4 Earthquake damaged column
in the Cordova Bldg.
B&W 10 x 8 Earthquake, 1964 – Anchorage
– Central Business District

*Has Negative