Historic Preservation
in
Alaska
Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring,
& Reconstructing our Past for the
Benefit of the Future
What is AAHP?
AAHP was incorporated as a 501(c)(3)
non-profit organization in 1982. AAHP is
dedicated to the preservation of Alaska’s
prehistoric and historic resources.
 Historic Preservation provides a vital link and
visible reminder of the past, emphasizing the
continuity and diversity of Alaska.
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What does AAHP do?
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AAHP aids in historic preservation projects
across Alaska and monitors and supports
legislation to promote historic preservation,
serving as a liaison between local, statewide,
and national historic preservation groups
(NTHP). AAHP also publishes a quarterly
newsletter and holds educational workshops
for the public and historic preservation
professionals.
AAHP has ten members on its Board
of Directors
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They are Architects,
Historians, Art
Historians,
Archaeologists, and
educators
AAHP has over 100
active members from
all over the country
Who does AAHP assist?
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AAHP partners with
and advocates for local
non-profit historic
preservation
organizations, such as
the Iditarod Historic
Trail Alliance, the
Friends of Nike Site
Summit, and
community-based
historical societies.
How can AAHP help?
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AAHP serves as a consulting
party for the Section 106
process. AAHP also
manages Alaska’s Ten Most
Endangered Historic
Properties Grant Program.
AAHP annually gives out an
Individual Lifetime
Achievement Award and an
award for outstanding work
in historic preservation.
Who is AAHP affiliated with?
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AAHP is the statewide
partner of the National
Trust for Historic
Preservation in Alaska
and is also a member of
the Coalition for Full
Permanent Funding of
the Historic Preservation
Fund.
What is the National Trust for Historic
Preservation?
The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a
national, privately funded non-profit
organization supported by more than 250,000
members. For 60 years, they have helped people
protect, enhance and enjoy the places that
matter to them. Preservation has an important
role to play in community revitalization, urban
planning, rural and public lands policy, and
much more.
What is the Section 106 Process?
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It is the “review of any project funded, licensed,
permitted, or assisted by the federal government for
impact on significant historic properties. The agencies
must allow the State Historic Preservation Officer and
the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, a
federal agency, to comment on a project. The Alaska
Historic Preservation Act contains a provision similar
to Section 106 which mandates that any project with
state involvement be reviewed in a similar manner.”
Courtesy of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Outdoor
Recreation, Office of History and Archaeology website
What is the Coalition for Full Permanent
Funding of the Historic Preservation Fund?
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The Coalition for Full and Permanent Funding for the Historic
Preservation Fund is comprised of national, statewide, tribal, and
local organizations and agencies, and businesses who support
securing full permanent funding for the Historic Preservation Fund.
The HPF was established by Congress in 1976 and modeled after
the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The HPF provides
dedicated funds to support the programs and activities identified in
the National Historic Preservation Act. Programs that recently
received funding include the State Historic Preservation Offices,
Tribal Historic Preservation Offices, and grant programs such as
Save America's Treasures and Preserve America. Although the HPF
is authorized at $150 million annually, Congress typically only
appropriates one-third to one-half of that amount each year.
What is the Ten Most Endangered
Historic Properties Program?
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AAHP identifies Alaska’s ten most
endangered historic properties each year in
an effort to increase public awareness, and
advocacy for, those properties. The list is
announced each year in May, nationally
recognized as Historic Preservation Month.
AAHP administers a matching grant program
in conjunction with the Ten Most
Endangered List.
AAHP’s Ten Most Endangered Grant
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Individuals or organizations whose historic
properties are named to the Ten Most Endangered
List in a given year are eligible to apply for
assistance with preservation projects planned for the
following year. Grants are distributed for use in
stabilization, pre-construction, or construction
activities focused on the preservation of endangered
properties. This program is modeled after the
NTHP’s 11 Most Endangered Grant.
NTHP’S 11 Most Endangered 2010
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America's State Parks & State-Owned Historic Sites
Black Mountain, Kentucky
Hinchliffe Stadium, New Jersey
Industrial Arts Building, Nebraska
Juana Briones House, California
Merritt Parkway, Connecticut
Metropolitan AME Church, Washington, DC
Pågat, Guam
Saugatuck Dunes, Michigan
Threefoot Building, Mississippi
Wilderness Battlefield, Virginia
AAHP’s Nominated Ten Most
Endangered 2010
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Battery Magazine (402) – Dutch Harbor NHL
Churchill/Cotter Homestead Cabin – Palmer
Chief Kashakes House – Saxman
Totem Row – Saxman
Inlet Trading Post – Homer
Colony Project Warehouse – Palmer
Totem Square – Sitka
Sage Building – Sheldon Jackson College – Sitka
Alaska Native Brotherhood Hall – Sitka
AAHP’s 2009 Ten Most Endangered
Historic Properties
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Community Hall, St. George Island
Holy Assumption Orthodox Church, Kenai
Attu Battlefield
St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, Juneau
Wireless Transmitter Site, Government Hill
Eagle Historic District
Colony Project Warehouse, Palmer
4th Avenue Theatre, Anchorage
Victor Holm Homestead, Kasilof
Sheldon Jackson College, Sitka
AAHP’s 2009 Grant Winner
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St. Nicholas Orthodox
Church, Juneau
Matching grant award
of $4000 will help
stabilize the foundation
and (hopefully) restore
the belfry
Work to be done!
Work to be done!
How do we approach preservation?

AAHP incorporates the philosophies of the National Trust for
Historic Preservation along with technical guidance of the
National Park Service and the State Historic Preservation
Office to evaluate each building or site individually for the
best possible approach to interpreting that building or site.
Four approaches to preservation most commonly used are:
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Preservation
Rehabilitation
Restoration
Reconstruction
HOMEWORK!
Rehabilitation or Restoration?
What do we preserve?
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Preservation is NOT just
about protecting buildings!
Archaeological sites, oral
histories, art, clothing,
music, literature, film; all
things made by man can be
preserved (or conserved) for
posterity, if it is deemed
SIGNIFICANT as
representing the human
social fabric.
What do YOU hope to preserve?
Culture?
Architecture?
Art?
Military History?
Textiles?
History of Transportation?
Aboriginal Skills?
History of Government? Or the
Recent Past?
Geneaology? Tribal History?
History of Education?
What can YOU do?
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We all bring our own
interpretations of what should be
preserved, and why. What we all
DO have in common, however, is
that we all hope to continue our
traditions into the future, or at
least have them remembered,
after we are gone. There are
many tools and resources
available to achieve this today,
taking many different forms. I
hope I helped you understand
some of them today, if you were
not already aware of them.
Thank you for your time!
All images courtesy of…
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The Anchorage Museum of History and Art
The Alaska State Library Collection (VILDA)
UA’s Museum of the North
The Seward Community Library Association
The University of Alaska Archives and Manuscripts
Department
Alaska State Museum, Juneau