HomeMy WebLinkAbout01302025 Historic Preservation Work Session PacketSeward Historic Preservation Commission
Work Session Packet
Work Session Topics:
1) CLG Grant Work: Hoben Park Fencing
2) Seward Local Register Nomination Review
January 30, 2025
City Council Chambers Beginning at 5:30 p.m.
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CITY OF SEWARD
LOCAL HISTORIC REGISTER APPLICATION FORMAT
** Prior to completing this form please review the Seward Historic Register eligibility criteria
1. Name of Property
historic name Thorn's Showcase Lounge
other names/site number Flamingo Lounge
2. Location
street &number 208 4th Avenue, Seward, AK, 99664
legal description T 1S R 1W SEC 10 SEWARD MERIDIAN SW 0000001 ORIGINAL TOWNSITE OF SEWARD LOT
g p 21 & 25 BLK 9
Kenai Peninsula Borough tax parcel number 14911003
3. Owner of Property
name Seward Showcase Suites LLC (Matt cope and KellyAnn Cavaretta
address 1809 Jesse Lee Drive (Po Box 233)
city Seward state AK zip 99664
telephone 7606854935
4. Category of Property
x building(s)
district
site
structure
object
5. Description (Describe the historic and current condition of the property on one or more
continuation sheets.)
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6. Significance
Applicable Seward Historic Register Criteria (Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria
qualifying the property for the Seward Historic Register)
x
A. Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to
our history.
B. Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in the past.
C. Construction/architecture...
D. Property has yielded, or is likely to yield information important in Seward's
prehistory or history.
Criteria Considerations (Mark "x" in all the boxes that apply)
A. owned by a religious institution or used for religious purposes
B. removed from its original location
C. a birthplace or a grave
D. a cemetery
E. a reconstructed building, object, or structure
x F. a commemorative property
G. less than 50 years of age or achieved significance within the past 50 years
Significant Dates
Significant Person
Cultural Affiliation
Architect/Builder
Narrative Statement of Significance (Explain the historical significance of the property on one or
more continuation sheets).
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7. Title History of Property
8. If approved may the property be placed on the Historic Walking Tour? X yes no
9 . Major Bibliographical References (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in
preparing this form on one or more continuation sheets.)
10. Form Prepared By
name/title Matthew Cope
organization
date
Owner - Flamingo Lounge
12/14/2024
address 1809 Jesse Lee Drive
seward
city
11. Photographs (attach one color photograph of the property at the time of application and if
available one black & white photograph identifying the property to be at least 50 years old)
Question #5:
We believe the Thorn's building holds historical significance in the city's cultural and social
scene, dating back to 1952. Although a fire in 1971 destroyed the original interior, to this day the
1970s interior is mostly upheld.
With its red padded seating, string lighting and erstwhile decor, the interior is like a trip back in
time with its dimly lit retro vibe delightfully filled with the community's character,.We recently
refurbished the original bubble lettering on the building, originally installed in 1972, but it is best
known for the hundreds of Jim Beam whiskey decanters adorning the wall-to-wall showcases
represent only part of a larger collection by Gene Thorn. His massive collection encompasses
several decades worth of the specialty bottles, that we as the new owners have organized and
preserved for history.
Question #7:
The lounge is tied to another place, Gil's Lounge, which was established in 1946 or 1947 in the
Palace Cafe Building by Harley "Hal" Otto Gilfilen (1903-1989) and his wife Clara or Clair. A few
years later in 1950, Gil's Lounge relocated to 208 Fourth Avenue. The Gilfilens operated Gil's
Lounge until 1961, until it became Thorn's Showcase Lounge.
Thorn's is listed in A Guide to the Notorious Bars of Alaska by Doug Vandergraft. In March of
1952, Louis Eugene "Gene" Thorn arrived in Seward and shortly thereafter started employment
as a bartender. He was professionally associated with several notorious bars including Palace
(1904-1917, 1933-1985) at 133 Fourth Avenue in 1962; Solly's (1956-1980) at 406
Washington Street in 1966; and Gil's Lounge in 1967. In 1960, Thorn met and married a nurse
who had moved to Seward from New York in 1959, Patricia "Pat" Ann Clancy Thorn
(1937-2017).
The Flamingo , also a historical establishment in Seward, opened in February 1953. The papers
called it a "beautifully appointed, completely modern establishment" with coral hues and
mahogany paneling. "Ultra modern is the only word to describe the new cocktail bar, Flamingo."
It had huge upholstered chairs in flamingo red. Originally established in the side street of the
Liberty Theater, patrons would not know of its existence except for the neon lighted flamingo on
the street corner. The Flamingo, over the course of its 30 year original existence, transformed
into an establishment with survived by scandalous gossip and stories full of history.
Bibliography:
Thorn's is listed in A Guide to the Notorious Bars of Alaska by Doug Vandergraft.
Resurrection Bay Historical Society