Behind Whittiers everyday peculiarities is a community thoroughly circumscribed by geography, architecture, and weather. The Begich Towers, in Whittier, Alaska, built by the military during the Cold War as a no-frills barracks, is now home to the majority of the isolated town's 300 or so residents. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Though Begich Towers and the Buckner Building provide much of Whittiers intrigue, they arent the only structures in town. On the buildings top two floors are Junes Whittier Condo Suites, a residents bed and breakfast operation with nearly a dozen suites ranging from $155 to $265 a night. The building was designed in 1953 to host the headquarters of the US Army Corps of Engineers. Begich was flying with House majority leader Hale Boggs from Anchorage to Juneau when the incident occurred. He wastes as little as possible, letting the shape of the ivory define what he makes. Avoid Scams and Fraud. "But, I've gotten used to it.". In 1998 reconstruction began to convert the rail-only Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnelfor dual-use, allowing vehicular access as well. Its a concrete building. ActiveRain, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, Listing content scraping by unauthorized personnel is strictly prohibited. Because the weather can be so extreme, kids often walk to school via an underground tunnel. 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. Whittier Community School serves families with children in grades K-12 who live in the Begich Towers condos. The building was named for Army civil engineer Colonel Walter William Hodge (pictured), the commanding officer of the 93rd Engineer Regiment on the Alcan Highway. But is it? Whittier, Alaska, on Prince William Sound. And that tunnel shuts down at night, leaving Whitter cut off until morning. It is one of Alaska's most famous buildings, mostly, because more than half of Whittier lives here. It was designed to house a 1500-man garrison with its own chapel, command offices, brig, TV station, PX, theater, laundry facilities, barber, an enormous mess hall, craft shop, a bowling alley, a shooting range, commissary, bakery, dispensary, and private rooms for officers and NCOs. If you have a disability that is preventing you from experiencing this The town averages around 250 inches of snow annually, but some recent years have seen closer to 400 inches. And you always have someone to talk to.". In addition to the residential units, the first floor has several businesses: a laundry mat, Post Office, condo association offices and more. It was built in 1954 . 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 Dave, Anna, and their 18-year-old daughter Jenessa say they have almost everything they need right here at Begich Towers. We Say, Yes! What is now the Begich Towers was part of that plan. 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. Outsiders have called Whittier the strangest town in Alaska. Enormous, spooky, mazelike, full of beer cans and debris, the Buckner building is catnip for teenagers, graffiti artists, urban explorers, and photographers. Most of the local businesses in Whittier are in the triangle by the waterfront or Anchor Inn building, but employment options are limited. For the dozens of children who live here, the building connects to the school through an underground tunnel. A fitness centre and several cafes located near the house have also been built to the service of local residents. The quality of a school can greatly influence home values in an area. (Some residents opposed the tunnel retrofit, afraid that it would bring an influx of people to town. The GreatSchools Rating helps parents compare schools within a state based on a variety of school quality indicators and provides a helpful picture of how effectively each school serves all of its 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. Because villages in remote areas may go many months without a visit from an itinerant dentist, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium has started a dental health aide program--the first of its kind in the United States. But it poses such a liability hazard that the city finally put a fence around it last fall. 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 inches and sometimes 400 inches. The main 14-story apartment complex, Begich Towers, contains 150 two- or three-bedroom apartments, the kind of density that could foster a devastating infection rate in the tiny population.. In addition to the residential units, the first floor has several businesses: a laundry mat, Post Office, condo association offices and more. The city officials are readily accessible on a daily basis. from . "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.". Some have a combination of all four!. Begich Towers is nearly earthquake and fire-proof. Heres A One Stop App For All The Needs! Winters paint a different picture. Their past. Whittier is known as "the town under one roof" since nearly all of its roughly 200 residents live in Begich Towers, an army barracks turned residential tower block. It was named the Hodge Building in memory of Colonel William Walter Hodge, commander of the 93rd Engineer Regiment on the Alcan Highway. She misses being at a school with sports teams, dance classes, and proms. The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred when a ship ran into the Bligh Reef off the coast of Alaska, spilling nearly eleven million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound. ", Cowan asked Jenessa, "What are people asking the most? Dental health aides spend two years learning basic dental care, and are then stationed in a remote community; they offer preventative services and perform basic procedures like fillings and extractions, so that when the dentist comes to town he can focus on more complex dental problems. That's what fills my bucket, and that's why I want to stay.". Those who stayed behind occupied the first four floors of the Hodge Building; other floors remained unoccupied. We asked a volunteer firefighter what we should do, and he told us it was best to go back to our condo and shut the door so we could avoid the noise. As of 2015, only one of the two boilers serving Begich Towers was functional, but it experienced major maintenance-related issues almost daily. , there was an army barrack at this place, due to which all the facilities are available here. ]. When the sun returns to the sky, residents pour out of BTI in shorts and T-shirts. During the summer months, when the sun shines 22 hours a dayvisitors from around the world who are curious about life in Begich Towers flock to Whittier. The smallest homes in the building are efficiency units, largerfloor plans have two or three bedrooms. More Info. As the closest town to the disaster, Whittier was an important base camp for authorities and clean-up crews, and its rail barges shipped the hazardous material out of Alaska. A skeleton crew stayed behind while the buildings were realigned as a sub-installation of AnchoragesFort Richardson. The community here, it's so nice that you don't really ever feel sad. Whittier, Alaska, about 60 miles from Anchorage, is both beautiful and yet gritty. Inside, sets of branched corridors and elevators allow residents access to all areas of the complex. Bob Prunella was brought to Whittier as an interim city manager, but he's now stayed here for two years. But when the temperature dips below freezing, that window narrows to five minutes. The majority of the Alaska Railroad workers commute from Anchorage,as does Whittiers mayor and all but one of the towns police officers. Enjoy waterfall views from the 6th floor and an abundance of awesome outdoor activities. Though there are two small grocery stores in Whittier, people tend to do most of their shopping in Anchorage, braving 60 miles of icy highway to do so. Dock hands who unload the supply barges in Whittier also shuttle in from Anchorage once a week. Parents dont have to worry about kids and traffic at the indoor playground. The building was designed in 1953 to host the headquarters of the US Army Corps of Engineers. the property described as unit 104, begich towers condominiums, as shown on the floor plans filed in the office of the recorder of the anchorage recording district, third judicial district, state of alaska, under plat number "'74-1, and as identified in the declaration recorded march 26, 1974, book 2, page 571, and in any The impressive engineering behind the 14-story Hodge Building was on display as its three separate towers swayed but miraculously did not collapse. In Whittier's 99693 neighborhood, moving to this community offers plenty of nearby highlights. Required fields are marked *. The flat-roofed Hodge Building was the militarys residential tower, built for bachelors quarters and family housing. The Kozy Korner grocery store is stocked with essentials. Owner Financing is Available! "You know, you get to thinking, Oh man, the tunnel's the only way out. Sold AK The search was called off after 39 days; the plane and its four passengers were never found. [ Before the tunnel conversion began, BTI condos sold for as little as $9,000. There are also some health and safety problems. Like everyone who lives on the harbor-facing side of Begich Towers, June keeps a pair of binoculars on her windowsill. You have to be willing to work with each other.". "We're too small to function in isolation," said Erk. Thus, it is possible to save on heating here, which is especially important when a strong wind blows here most of the year, it is snowing or raining. Enjoy the excellent mountain and waterfall views from this 2 bedroom, 1 bath fifth floor condo in Begich Towers. Some keep them for watching whales or goats grazing, but one resident admits theyre for determining if your husbands at the bar.. During the summer the towns population swells as boaters, fishermen, seasonal workers, and tourists descend upon the small port. The area where modern-day Whittier sits was . The plumbing system is certainly overworked. Though over 700,000 people visit Whittier annually, many tourists disembark from cruise ships only to take the train straight to Anchorage, spending little time or money in Whittier. Its a concrete building, he said. The first floor of the building had almost everything a city needs to function. 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. Whats it like inside? The post office is near the buildings entrance and the police station is just down the hall. Each office is independently owned and operated. The town of Whittier is situated on the western end of the Prince William Sound, about 75 miles southeast of Anchorage and somewhat centrally located on the southern coast of Alaska. right?". Built in 1943, this self-contained secure facility housed the radio and telegraph communications equipment. Today all but a handful of the towns residents live inside. Are you sure you want to report this blog entry as spam? The 14-story building is a former Army barracks built in 1956, yet it houses all the amenities youd expect from a small town: a laundromat, health clinic, corner store, police station, church, video store, city offices and the homes of nearly 200 residents.Photo via California Sunday Magazine. The Begich Towers Condominium Association of Apartment Owners was incorporated in 1974 as a 196-unit condo community. Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}604620N 1484108W / 60.77222N 148.68556W / 60.77222; -148.68556 $175.00. The new Begich Towers includes 196 units, enough to house the entire town. Innovative & Cutting-Edge: This Is Why Blenders Pride Glassware Fashion Tours Entry In Metaverse Was A Hit! At 11 pm the tunnel is locked for the night. After the tunnel conversion, the trip to drive through cost travelers just $12. The oldest surviving structure from this occupation is the Alaska Communication Systems (ACS) building, also the oldest concrete structure in Whittier (pictured below, source). Call or text 9073010189 for information on Buyer's Representation Services(NO COST TO HOME BUYERS). Whittier is relatively close to Anchorage, Alaskabut it is still difficult to access. Were All in for Arena Reel Star! A museum about the Japanese occupation of Alaska during World War II, an abandoned army barracks called the Buckner Building which once housed Whittier residents as Begich Towers does today, and a handful of delectable restaurants that serve fresh seafood are some other points of interest. The complex has a shop . The population drops to less than two hundred, and the streets empty as most of the town moves back indoors. ", A few weeks ago, Jenessa started posting about her life in the building on TikTok, and soon had millions of views and just about as many questions. In addition to the residential units, the first floor has several busine. The next day we were on the ground floor at the grocery store when a painfully loud fire alarm went off. Whittier, just sixty miles from the epicenter, was severely damaged by the ensuing tsunamis, which brought waves up to 43 feet (13m) tall into town. Joey Lipscomb, an eighth grader, runs the garden. Value 3.7. Dave Schofield is the chief of police in Whittier. WATCH: [Indie Alaska]I am a Whittier Teacher. Most condos have extensively updated and remodeled since then. Find AK real estate agents A supply barge comes into town once a week, but most of the workers who unload the freight commute from Anchorage. We are continuously working to improve the accessibility of our web experience for everyone, and we welcome feedback and accommodation requests. (Whittier has an EMT team but no hospital, so in the case of a nighttime emergency, a police officer has to run ahead of the ambulance to unlock each of the four gates inside the tunnel.). 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. 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. When we shot this photo, the wind was blowing upwards of 60 mph and there were no other customers in the bar. Great 2 Bedroom Condo with beautiful views of the mountains. Instead they go directly from the cruise ship to a train that takes them to Anchorage. Dickason said, "No one's going to build a home on property that they don't own.". on ActiveRain. "Before you judge the town of Whittier, you need to come visit it first.". Cowan asked Shuford, "What do you want people to know about Whittier? The purpose of the bomb-proof mid-centuryHodge Building was to support a remote logistics station in Whittier, Alaska. All desirable qualities for the military, to be sure however its drawback was its isolation; at the time the region had no rail or vehicular access. The 14th floor of the Begich Towers remains quiet in Whittier on Tuesday, August 9, 2016. Next to the school and towers is the indoor playground (pictured), which protects kids from the elements year-round. that are written by the members of this community. The shore is lined with small stores that open up during tourist season. Also, visit our Weird Attractions, Whittier, Alaska: One Building Houses A Whole Town, Crater of Diamonds: A Wealth of Buried Gems in Arkansas, A little piece of London in Arizona Lake Havasu Citys London Bridge, Devon Island: Canadas Remote Martian Island, Southern Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp: Floridas Mystical Retreat. Begich Towers serves as a cozy condominium which features a post office, general store, police station, laundromat, hospital, mayors office, and a heated indoor pool. Access detailed information on Whittier Community School,school ratings, test scores by grade, student-teacher ratio, and much more. Find similar condos for sale to the Begich Towers Condos in Whittier AK. Katrina BentonKeller Williams Realty Hire a professional, positive, and proactive nationwideteam of Realtorsto help you sell or buyyour next home! The path to Whittier goes straight under a mountain, into a tunnel bored through more than two miles of solid rock. Begich Towers, Whittier, AK Real Estate and Homes for Sale Pending 100 KENAI ST # #, Whittier, AK 99693 $75,000 3 Beds 1 Baths 933 Sq Ft Listing by Jack White Real Estate Pending 100 KENAI ST # #, Whittier, AK 99693 $98,800 2 Beds 1 Baths 730 Sq Ft Listing by RE/MAX of Alyeska RE/MAX AK Real Estate Begich Towers Real Estate Orlet us know your school story in the comments section below and share this info with your friends and family, and keep readingIndiatimes.comfor the latest trending news. Karen Dempster, who owns two units in the building, an attorney and a professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, helped write a grant, which will pay for several upgrades to the building. In fact, what makes Whittier unique is that all the locals live in one large 14-story building! Begich Towers is essentially a fully functional condo that is equipped to take care of most of the residents needs in-house. June Miller runs June's Whittier Condo Suites, a bed and breakfast on the fourteenth and fifteenth floors of Begich Towers. "It's important to be here for the right reasons," said Lindsey Erk, who moved here from South Dakota to teach. The two largest of those are the Buckner Building and the Begich Towers. The complex consists of three connected modules that make up the main structure and two separate modules connected via tunnels. One unique feature, there is a pedestrian tunnel linking the complex to the . People in Whittier refer to Bob as something called "old Alaska"--he settled in a pre-pipeline Wrangle during Alaska's Wild West days. Begich Towers is an interesting housing complex where 95% of the Whittier population lives in this one 14 story condo building. Comfortable floor plans and panoramic views will make you feel right at home in the Begich Towers Condos in Whittier AK. So it actually makes sense for the city's citizens to have everything in one place and live under the same roof. 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. People in Whittier get out of their cars carefully; the wind has been known to shatter windshields and bend car doors backwards. Public accommodations protections include being unfairly refused services or entry to or from places accessible to the public (retail stores, restaurants, parks, hotels, etc). 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