By CIRI Historian Alexandra J. McClanahan

Two forlorn-looking, abandoned buildings sitting on a breath-taking 2.5-acre site overlooking Seward and Resurrection Bay appear to contain answers to questions about Alaska’s past. The buildings are all that remain of the former Jesse Lee Home where Alaska’s flag was designed. If they are allowed to continue their ever-quickening deterioration, the answers may go from being elusive to lost.

A number of people are working to find ways to stabilize and eventually renovate and even make use of the buildings in the future, but it may come down to a question of finding state support in a climate of budget cutting.
The Jesse Lee Home, begun by the Methodist Church, had its beginnings as an orphanage in Unalaska in 1890. In 1925, the home was moved to Seward, where it eventually grew to several buildings on a 100-acre site. The home offered housing, education, and health care to resident children until 1964 when it sustained severe damage in the Good Friday Earthquake. Goode Hall, one of the original dormitories, was demolished after the earthquake due to extensive damage.

Many Alaska Native children lived in the home, often sent there as a result of the ravages of epidemics of influenza and tuberculosis that hit villages for years throughout Alaska. Among its more famous residents were Benny Benson, designer of Alaska’s flag; Peter Gordon Gould, founder of Alaska Methodist University; and Simeon Oliver, pianist, composer, and writer.

Former resident and CIRI shareholder James Lewis Simpson is among those urging state support and private fund-raising for funds to implement stabilization and renovation alternatives suggested in a recently completed state-funded $65,000 study. The 79-year-old said he arrived at the home in 1929 when he was four years old. He remained there until he graduated from high school at age 17.

Simpson, who is Ahtna Athabascan, spent his earliest years in Chickaloon, his mother’s home. When his family ran into difficulties and was not able to care for him, he was put on the train in Anchorage and sent to the home in Seward. He doesn’t recall being frightened when he arrived late in the day, but rather very amazed and curious about his new surroundings. He said he amazed his caregivers to nearly the same degree when he told them he needed to say his prayers before getting into bed.

Simpson declines to analyze the type of care he got at the home, but simply suggests that his service in World War II, followed by the attainment of a bachelor’s degree and teaching certificate and eventually master’s and doctorate degrees speak for themselves. After a successful teaching career in Alaska, he and his wife retired to Oregon.

He has met with Seward community leaders, as well as others involved in the study of the site and encouraged them to proceed as soon as possible with saving the site. Like many others, Simpson feels that the site deserves its listing on the National Register of Historic Places, but its true significance is its statewide importance in Alaska, especially as the location of where the state’s flag was designed.

Greg Frosberg, architect for ECI/Hyer Architects, Inc., the firm retained for the state-sponsored study, said the remaining structures have been neglected for years and that they already have deteriorated to a significant degree. He said it was impossible to predict when the buildings may decay to the point where it will be impossible to save them, but he said he hopes that funds can be found soon to at least stop water leaks and otherwise stabilize the structures.

Seward City Planner Malcolm Brown said the city, which owns the property as a result of a foreclosure, is working closely with the Alaska Dept. of Natural Resources to seek legislative approval for funding. He estimated that the two structures and the covered arcade of about 60 feet connecting them comprise a total over 24,000 square feet. Until new funding can be found, Brown said, the city is not financially able to undertake further efforts to save the buildings.

Brown said the city is open to any reasonable suggestions about long-term use of the property, such as elderly housing, a boarding home for children or other uses with the condition that the historical significance of the property be maintained and that the public have access to it. But Brown said he is aware of the need for urgency.

“The clock is really ticking,” he said.

James Lewis Simpson

The following is taken from the Jesse Lee Home Historic Structure report prepared by ECI/Hyer Architects:

History
Originally the complex consisted of two dormitory structures, Jewel Guard Hall and Goode Hall, constructed in 1925. Goode Hall was severely damaged in the 1964 earthquake and was condemned and torn down in 1972. The Balto Building, which contained the central kitchen and dining space, sat between Jewel Guard Hall and Goode Hall and was built beginning in 1936. It was connected by arcades to the two outer buildings. Jewel Guard Hall, the Balto Building and the two arcades remain standing today.

The home averaged 120 children in the early years and was largely self-sufficient, given the on-site gardening and livestock production. Education was provided at the facility. The children were also encouraged to participate in care of the home including gardening, laundry, and other chores. Over the years, hundreds of Alaska Native children from all races and regions were educated and housed at the home. Among them were many who went on to become leaders in Alaska.

During World War II, the children were moved to other locations in the state. The buildings were painted camouflage due to their proximity to Fort Raymond, and Fort Raymond Army Base occupied a portion of the property. Their use during this period is in question.

The home reopened after the war and the children attended local schools. Government surplus food largely replaced the garden and livestock provisions. The occupancy dwindled to 30 or 40 by the early 1960s. Following the 1964 earthquake, a new home opened in Anchorage due to high heating costs and the trend toward foster home care.

Future Uses
Of the many considered uses, three were selected by the Jesse Lee Home Advisory Board for further evaluation. All were based on some form of housing including, 1) a group youth home, 2) apartments with a possible emphasis on elderly housing, and 3) single room occupancy housing for adults seeking shorter-term accommodations.