In 1998 reconstruction began to convert the rail-only Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnelfor dual-use, allowing vehicular access as well. What is now the Begich Towers was part of that plan. The Hodge and the Buckner Composite building, dubbed a city under one roof, are the largest most modern inhabited structures built by the Corps of Engineers since the Pentagon.. He is also the only officer who lives in town. When asked about Whittier's social life, Shuford said, "Yep, that can be a little troublesome. It also has radar-unfriendly claustrophobic topography and famously terrible weather, which obscures visibility for much of the year. Fastest Charging On Any Nord Phone Ever & Other Reasons Why OnePlus Nord 2T Is Worth Every Penny! A supply barge comes into town once a week, but most of the workers who unload the freight commute from Anchorage. There is also a small Baptist church, two floors of bed and breakfast daily rentals, a conference room, and an indoor playground at the school. Between 700,000 and 900,000 people visit the town annually primarily via cruise ship or passing through en route to Anchorage but most dont stay beyond one afternoon. Contact Address: 110 Kenai Street Whittier, AK 99693 Phone Number: (907) 472-2484 Home AK Whittier Begich Towers Apartments Report an Issue Contact this Property (907) 472-2484 [ During the winter of 1956/57, the Port of Whittier received a record snowfall of 72 feet. Most Whittier residents love the tiny towns remote status. So it actually makes sense for the city's citizens to have everything in one place and live under the same roof. Located around 60 miles southeast of Anchorage, the town of Whittier has a 14-storey building that also houses a health clinic, police station and convenience store. When completed, the one-mile railroad tunnel through Begich Peak and the 2.5-mile railroad tunnel through Maynard Mountain combined for 13,300 feet. When Ed first moved to Whittier he was living on a 32-foot bayliner, but it was difficult to heat such a large boat, and besides, he was told the waitlist for a berth that would accommodate a boat that size would be 15 years. Surrounded by cascading waterfalls, with views of an inlet filled with whales, otters and puffins, tucked below a rocky mountain vista sits the Begich Towers. WATCH: [Indie Alaska]I am a Whittier Teacher. In 1964, the area was hit by a tsunami caused by the Good Friday earthquake, but the damage was not extensive. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); UnusualPlaces.org is your guide to quirky, weird and beautiful places to visit around the world. Several bathrooms still have the original pink tiles and the yellow counter tops in the kitchens. People in Whittier refer to Bob as something called "old Alaska"--he settled in a pre-pipeline Wrangle during Alaska's Wild West days. But in fact, the opposite happenedpeople moved out.). Most of the 200-odd residents of the Alaskan town of Whittier all live in the same 14-story condominium - Begich Towers - located on the edge of town. A skeleton crew stayed behind while the buildings were realigned as a sub-installation of AnchoragesFort Richardson. Even a school called Whittier School is connected to a tunnel on the ground floor of the West tower so students can walk to school without going out in the cold during winter. Adjustment is not easy, nor guaranteed, for those who make an attempt. (There once was a combination video rental store and tanning salon, but its been closed for a while now.) A few years ago, a pot grower on the 10th floor had just finished a harvest and decided to get rid of some of the evidence by flushing it down the toilet. Some easily adjust and stay for 20+ years. ActiveRain, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, The serene setting,mountain and harbor views make this the perfect Alaska getaway. Because it doesn't matter where you came from, how much money you have, you know, we're all just here in this town trying to make it work.". In addition to the residential units, the first floor has several busine. Business development is a challenge, as there is very limited buildable land in Whittier. Begich Towers Condominium Association of Apartment Owners Inc. The structure stands 14 stories high with a rectangular plan and a flat roof. He was a violent racist and he hated blacks and Natives, so I always thought that building reflected him: all torn-down and abandoned.. Whittier residents who ventured to Anchorage for an evening of fun, and missed the 10:30 tunnel cut off time have been known to spend the night in their car. (See it on Google Street view). Most condos have extensively updated and remodeled since then. At 11 pm the tunnel is locked for the night. Gary grew up in the hills of Arkansas, where he watched the Little Rock Crisis unfold on his TV screen. In the summertime Whittier is bustling. Directions by Land: From Anchorage, take the Seward Highway south to Portage Road, go east to Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel to City Center of Whittier. Google India Employee Gets Laid Off After Earning 'Star Performer' Award, Asks 'Why Me? 60 miles from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. Take the elevator up to the 3rd floor to see a doctor if you're not feeling well. "But, everything's here. There are 198 units, and in the bottom of the building is the police office, a gym, the city clerk's office and a store. In 1972, the building was renamed Begich Towers Condominium, in memory of Nick Begich, a Congressman from Alaska who disappeared in the area and is presumed to have died in a plane crash. "The law says you can't have drugs within 500 feet of a school; there's not a unit in this building that's 500 feet from the school, but we have the right-to-privacy issue.". right?". "Alaska is quite an unevangelized state," he explains. RE/MAX, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and supports the Fair Housing Act and equal opportunity housing. June's Whittier Bed and Breakfast Condos is an excellent choice for travelers visiting Whittier, offering many helpful amenities designed to enhance your stay. The weather in this corner of Alaska is very unpredictable - winds blow at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour and snowfall reaches 250, The building was built in 1956 and during. And you always have someone to talk to.". Proving the Whittier experience is not for everyone, it hasmixed reviews on TripAdvisor. In Whittier, Alaska, almost the entire population of 318 year-round residents live under one roof. We Say, Yes! Seasonal workers come for jobs on fishing boats, charter boats, or in the cannery, and cruise ships bring hundreds of thousands of tourists to the harbor. Since the vehicular passage in the tunnel is one lane, inbound and outbound traffic is staggered in fifteen minute intervals twice per hour; in the winter this shrinks to five-minute windows to keep the tunnel warm. Inside, the painted concrete hallways illuminated by the ubiquitous yellow fluorescent lighting always remind that you are inside what used to be a government building. The structure is notable for operating like a small-scale arcology, being the residence for nearly the entire population of the city, as well as containing many of its public facilities. For the rest of the 1960s, Whittiers population fluctuated between forty and seventy people. Shuford, originally from North Carolina, now lives on the 12th floor of what some describe as the "Wilderness Tower." The purpose of the bomb-proof mid-century Hodge Building was to support a remote logistics station in Whittier, Alaska. The Begich Tower was built by the U.S. Army in 1952 to be used as a barracks during the Cold War. Another Good Friday disaster would strike in March of 1989. About 300 or so residents live here year-round, many of them new families. Its a concrete building, he said. Enormous, spooky, mazelike, full of beer cans and debris, the Buckner building is catnip for teenagers, graffiti artists, urban explorers, and photographers. There are benefits to living in the Begich Towers. Find AK real estate agents Do additional legal protections exist for the LGBTQ community at the state level in Alaska? The school is connected to the towers via a tunnel. Perhaps the best reason to live in Begich Towers is its perceived invincibility. While most of the town was destroyed, the rail lines, docks, deep water wells, and massive concrete buildings remained largely intact. Hes been here ever since. After the tunnel conversion, the trip to drive through cost travelers just $12. The population of the city is over 200 people. Close to some of Whittier's most popular landmarks, such as Begich Towers Incorporated (0.0 mi) and Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel (1.9 mi), June's Whittier Bed and Breakfast . Seward Highway south to Portage Road, go east to, Free Community and Demographic Reports for Whittier, Access detailed information on Whittier Community School, Home Prices in Anchorage Alaska for March 2018, Home Prices in Anchorage Alaska for February 2018, Home Prices in Anchorage Alaska for November 2017, View all Activerain Blog Posts By Katrina Benton. Theres no money in it, she says, but its nothing to me and its a big deal for them, so what the fuck, why not blow their skirts up?. In 1941 the United States military took an interest in Whittier to function as the backup port to the primary one at Seward, about 50 miles to the south. Cowan asked, "What don't people understand about Whittier? Their past. The only way to get to Whittier is to drive through a one-lane railroad tunnel through the middle of a mountain. The search was called off after 39 days; the plane and its four passengers were never found. They also had a lot of civil rights actions here [in Alaska] in the forties; the Natives werent even allowed to sit in the movie theater with white people. Explore selling options, sales history, home details and more on . However, things are changing here. 100 Kenai St Unit 414, a condos home located in Whittier, AK has 2 beds, 1 baths, and is 932 square feet. Electric Sunroof, Head Up Display & Other Features That Make The All New Hot & Techy Brezza A Hit. Those who stayed behind occupied the first four floors of the Hodge Building; other floors remained unoccupied. It was part of a completely self-sufficient complex designed to allow its residents to stay indoors for months at a time during the harsh coastal Alaskan winters. In the process he stopped up the plumbing on the floors below hima neighbor called city management to complain that someone had flushed large amounts of dog food down the toilets, but it turned out to be pellets of grow medium. For example, the state constitution has written into it a right to privacy; if something is occurring in your own home, you have the right to keep it private. Your email address will not be published. Whittier is relatively close to Anchorage, Alaskabut it is still difficult to access. "You know, you get to thinking, Oh man, the tunnel's the only way out. "No kid in this school can sit in the back of the classroom and not do something. Victor Shen also works with students here and he's also a graduate. He and the other students sell their vegetables in the lobby of Begich Towers. In March of 1974 the Hodge Building was officially renamed Begich Towers in honor of Alaska Congressman Nick Begich(pictured), who went missing in October of 1972 after control towers lost contact with his Cessna 310. Two winters ago the snowdrifts near Whittier School were piled so high that the principal let students go outside to take pictures of one another hanging from a street lamp. And if you have pet reindeer, you can keep them in a pen behind the building. Because the weather in Whittier can be so brutal, the school is connected to Begich Towers by underground tunnel, and the only playground is indoors. Housing protections include being unfairly evicted, denied housing, or refused the ability to rent or buy housing. Bob Prunella was brought to Whittier as an interim city manager, but he's now stayed here for two years. Powered by Indiatimes Lifestyle Network. Ironically, when the conversion was finished, more people moved out. Whittiers school is connected to Begich Towers by an underground tunnel, so young residents never have to brave harsh wind and snow on their way to the classroom. The former military gym and basketball courts (pictured) are massive and offer an expansive indoor area for activity and exercise. The Buckner Building over here was named after General Buckner. Begich Towers is an interesting housing complex where 95% of the Whittier population lives in this one 14 story condo building. Instead, on the edge of town, there stands a 14-story building called Begich Towers a former Army barracks, resembling an aging hotel, where most of the town's 200 residents live. The building was built in 1956 and duringWorld War II, there was an army barrack at this place, due to which all the facilities are available here. The listing content relating to real estate for sale on this website comes in part from the IDX Program of Alaska Multiple Listing Service, Inc. (AK MLS). This propelled Whittier into a more important role as other regional ports who suffered more damage were inoperable. The Begich Tower where everyone lives together, Police station to hospital everything inside one building, 'Itna Showoff', Internet Reacts To Urvashi Rautela Spending Rs 93 Lakhs For Her Birthday Bash, 'Suck Up To Serial Sexual Perverts Like Sajid Khan', Sona Mohapatra's Indirect Jibe At Shehnaaz Gill, Was There A Tiff Between Nawazuddin Siddiqui And Irrfan Khan? The Anchor Inn, a combination hotel, bar, and restaurantthe only bar or restaurant open year-roundis a five-minute walk from BTI. What if there's an emergency or something and I can't get out?" It is 14 floors high and is made up of three modules connected together. Anyone who wanted to bring a car or truck into the town had to ship their vehicle into town via boat or train. ]. Heres How To Choose, Where To Buy & More. Watch this video link to tour the Begich Towers. Jim carves figures of Alaskan animals out of native Alaskan ivory. The complex consists of three connected modules that make up the main structure and two separate modules connected via tunnels. Ed Hedges lives year-round on a 28-foot sailboat with his cat, Whatever. A visitor recounted a conversation with the resident volunteer firefighter when apainfully loud fire alarm went off inside BTI. One unique feature, there is a pedestrian tunnel linking . But thriving harbor industriesfreight, fishing, tourismdont seem to translate into growth for the city. Initially there was backlash to the tunnel conversion by residents afraid of the potential population influx. It was built in three sections connected by metal plates so that it wouldnt crack apart during a quake. While the United States was engaged in World War II, resources were temporarily diverted away from Whittier, leaving little activity in the area for the next five years. Thank you for reading about Begich Towers Condos in Whittier AK. They do, however, get excited to take photos of Brenda and her reindeer. Innovative & Cutting-Edge: This Is Why Blenders Pride Glassware Fashion Tours Entry In Metaverse Was A Hit! They do take care of their own here breakfast for the kids is often made by the teachers, and during COVID is delivered right to the doorsteps of students. Light and bright apartment style condos you would expect to find for sale in the Begich Towers Condos in Whittier AK are going to range between 511 and 1827 square feet. Good access to hiking and some of the area's best fishing in Prince William Sound.. Year Built: 1954. Whittier, Alaska, about 60 miles from Anchorage, is both beautiful and yet gritty. Anna laughed. In the winter he keeps warm with space heaters and staves off boredom by watching movies and reading books on his iPad. It was built by the military during the Cold War as a no-frills barracks. 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