Arctic Brotherhood Hall, 245 Broadway, Skagway, Skagway, AK

For photographs, see HABS AK-15-5, AK-15-67, and AK-15 -79 (CT).

Significance: `The Arctic Brotherhood was a fraternal organization founded by a group of gold seekers on board a steamer bound for Skagway in Febrary 1899, as part of the Klondike Gold Rush. Having formalized their arrangement upon landing, the brothers undertook the construction of their meeting hall, designated "Camp Skagway No. 1," between June and August of that year. Built of wood frame construction, the Arctic Brotherhood Hall is a two-story, gable-roofed building with a false front typical of Western boom-town architecture of the period. Of note is the large double-height meeting hall space in the rear, with a balcony and prominent fieldstone fireplace. In 1900 the building's extraordinary facade of driftwood and sticks was applied, attributed to Charles O. Walker. In July 1923 President Warren G. Harding, on a tour of Alaska, become the last initiated member of Camp Skagway No. 1.

Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N2071

Survey number: HABS AK-242

Building/structure dates: 1899 Initial Construction

Building/structure dates: 1990 Subsequent Work

fraternal organizations fraternal lodges gold rushes social and civic facilities fireplaces fieldstone driftwood balustrades newels wood structural frames false fronts mezzanines rustic work alaska arctic brotherhood city of skagway borough warren g harding historic american buildings survey anne e matsov jeremy t mauro mark schara john wachtel charles o walker skagway arctic brotherhood hall library of congress

1950 - 1970

Library of Congress

https://www.loc.gov/

No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html