The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About03282018 Historic Preservation Laydown - SOA DOT L cuA 435 win Ad c 113 '/2th V OF Ty Department of Transportation and g \\I%% e THE STATE A Public Facilities ALAS}(A i;ll E PO Box 196900 GOVERNOR BILL WALKER Anchorage,Alaska 99519-6900 Main:907.269.0542 ALAS,' Toll Free:800.770.5263 TDD:907.269.0473 In Reply Refer To: SEW-00835 (Seward Naval Radio Station)Determination of Eligibility ATTENTION: This finding contains one DOE January 19,2018 Ms.Judith Bittner State Historic Preservation Officer Alaska Office of History and Archaeology 550 W. 7`h Avenue, Suite 1310 Anchorage,Alaska 99501-3565 Dear Ms. Bittner: This letter is providing information for a determination of eligibility for site SEW-00835 (Seward Naval Radio Station). In August 2017, a high water event in Seward,Alaska undermined the foundation of the sole remaining building at the former naval radio station facilities(SEW-00835)built by the Naval Communications Service in 1917. We are seeking your concurrence that this site fails to meet any of the criteria for evaluation and lacks necessary aspects of integrity to be considered eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. SEW-00835 is located in the city of Seward,Alaska in Section 35 of Township 1 North,Range 1 West, and Sections 2 of Township 1 South,Range 1 West, Seward Meridian on the United States Geologic Survey Quad map Seward A-7, WGS84 Latitude 60.114678°N,Longitude-149.442067°W (Figure 1).The environmental review,consultation,and other actions required by applicable Federal environmental laws for this project are being,or have been,carried out by DOT&PF pursuant to 23 U.S.C. 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated November 3, 2017,and executed by FHWA and DOT&PF. Historic Context The United States Navy Naval Communications Service(NCS)built the naval radio station and facilities in Seward(SEW-00835)in 1917 as one of three new nodes in a communication network that linked important points in Alaska by underwater cables,telegraph lines,and radio stations(Hudson 2015: 24). Early in the 20th century,the Navy built its first radio stations at Sitka and Cordova; these were followed by additional stations in Dutch Harbor,Kodiak, Saint Paul,and Unalga by 1911 (Hanable and Ponko 1983: 164-165). Along with building SEW-00835,the Navy confiscated two Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America stations at Juneau and Ketchikan as World War I security measures(Hanable and Ponko 1983: 165). Naval wireless stations in Alaska, as summarized by Hudson,"had been established for communication with coastal and North Pacific shipping,and were also to supplement and backup the army system to "Keep Alaska Moving through service and infrastructure. " The environmental review,consultation,and other actions required by applicable Federal environmental laws for this project are being,or have been,carried out by DOT&PF pursuant to 23 U.S.C.327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated November 3,2017 and executed by FHWA and DOT&PF. maintain communication between Alaska and the rest of the United States whenever the Signal Corps system was interrupted"(2015: 24). Due to the inherent competition between Naval Communications Service radio stations and the underwater cable system developed by the Army,rates were the same for both cable and radio(DOI 1920: 447). In addition to commercial and official transmissions,naval radio stations also distributed storm warnings and weather reports to ships at sea and transmitted, for a reasonable fee,private messages between Alaska inhabitants(DOI 1918: 52). Radio stations like SEW-00835 proved to be an important link in connecting expanding commercial and military interests throughout Alaska to the rest of the country through a system of telegraph, cable, and radio relays. By 1926,almost 50 percent of communications delivered through naval radio stations were commercial from,to,and within the territory(DOI 1921: 58).The economic relationships between the state,country and individual stations,however,proved to be unpredictable and budget cuts led to the cessation of operations at SEW-00835 between August 1923 and April 1924(Cook and Norris 1998: 219).The U.S. Army Signal Corps took over operations of SEW-00835 from the NCS between June 1926 and 1930 but relinquished control of the facilities back to the Navy in 1932 (Cook and Norris 1998: 219; DOI 1921: 43; Hanable and Ponko 1983: 165-166). After a wildfire destroyed the majority of the station in 1935,all of the surviving structures except for the powerhouse were razed,and the land passed into private ownership until 1964 when the state of Alaska acquired the property for the approach to the airport(Hanable and Ponko 1983: 166). Site Description The NCS considered Seward a location that would be central to Alaskan development and built SEW- 00835 the tidal flats of the east bank of the Resurrection River where high tides would frequently cover the grounds(United States Naval Communications B-10). A construction firm from San Francisco,the Gutleben Brothers,built the original facilities at SEW-00835 and included three double cottages,a concrete powerhouse,a storehouse, a coal shed,a workshop, and installing sewer,water, and heating systems(Hanable and Ponko 1983: 160-161).The site also included 200'steel masts moved from the Naval Radio Station Cordova, Point Whitshed Site(AHRS site COR-099). In 1918, a construction crew from Mare Island Navy Yard added a one-story wood and corrugated steel machine shop and a garage (Hanable and Ponko: 161).Between 1919 and 1921, SEW-00835 came to include an additional double cottage, a pumphouse,and a storage shed(Hanable and Ponko 1983: 161). A map of the facilities at SEW-00835 also shows a staging area for fuel tanks and a tennis court(Figure 2). In 1935 a fire destroyed the main buildings,which lead to the closure of the station and,except for the concrete powerhouse,the destruction of standing structures. By August 2017,the channel of the Resurrection River had shifted southeast enough to completely undermine the foundation of the powerhouse,which is no longer standing (Figures 3-4). Determination of Eligibility When evaluated within its historic context,a property must be shown to be significant for one or more of the four Criteria for Evaluation: A,B, C,or D.These Criteria describe how properties are significant for their association with important events or persons, for their importance in design or construction,or for their information potential. In addition to meeting one or more these criteria,a property's physical features need to retain adequate integrity that conveys its significance. Integrity,as such,can be conveyed in a combination of factors that include location,design, setting,materials,workmanship, feeling,and association. Criterion A The period of significance that links SEW-00835 to broader historic events is the date of its construction in 1917 until its abandonment in 1935. Although this period overlaps with a general pattern of economic development in Alaska, SEW-00835 itself cannot be firmly documented as having an important role in local or regional economic development. As such, SEW-00835 is not eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A. Criterion B Although there are a few stories of what life was like at SEW-00835 (see United States Naval Communications B-10),there is no clear association between SEW-00835 and the lives of persons that had a significant role in local, state,or national history. As such,IDT-00057 is not eligible for the NRHP under criterion B. Criterion C With its collapse into the Resurrection River,many of the powerhouse's architectural characteristics were lost. Although some aspects of its design and method of construction can still be identified in its remains, the building itself is no longer representative of a type,period, or method of construction that could be considered historically significant and worthy of preservation. As such, it is not eligible for the NRHP under criterion C. Criterion D Due to its relatively short period of operation, its flood-prone position on the landscape, and loss of structures by fire, salvage,and flooding there is little potential that SEW-00835 has any information that will be useful to future researchers in answering questions about local or state history. As such, IDT- 00057 is not eligible for the NRHP under criterion D. Criteria Considerations The property is not a religious property.The buildings have been removed,destroyed,or displaced by natural events.There are no known burials,cemeteries or graves on the parcel and no births of prominent persons are noted here.The buildings are not reconstructed nor do they commemorate events or persons. The buildings are over 50 years in age and require no exceptional significance for their consideration. Integrity The powerhouse at SEW-00835 retains some aspect of its integrity of location due to its relatively close proximity to its original place of construction. However,with its collapse into the Resurrection River, many of the physical features that could be analyzed for aspects of design,materials,and workmanship have all been diminished or lost.The construction of the runway across from the powerhouse during World II(and subsequent upgrades by the State of Alaska since 1964)create a visual and audible intrusion that is incongruous with its original setting, feeling,and association with an earlier phase of Seward's development when the mouth of the Resurrection River was undeveloped. If you have questions or comments related to this proposed project, I can be reached by telephone at 907- 269-0535 or by e-mail at michael.wanzenriedgalaska.gov. Your timely response will greatly assist us in incorporating your concerns into project development. For that purpose,we respectfully request that you respond within thirty days of your receipt of this correspondence. Sincerely, OV:bee\..._ Michael Wanzenried Cultural Resources Specialist Enclosures: Figure 1: Location and vicinity of SEW-00835 Figure 2: Map of SEW-00835 from Hanable and Ponko 1983 Figure 3: August,29,2017,the Powerhouse at SEW-00835 Undermined by Resurrection River Figure 4: May, 13, 2009,the Powerhouse at SEW-00835 Not Yet Undermined by Resurrection River Electronic cc w/enclosures: Barbara Beaton, P.E.,DOT&PF Central Region,Project Manager Mark Boydston, DOT&PF Central Region,Environmental Analyst Brian Elliott, DOT&PF Central Region,Regional Environmental Manager Kathy Price, DOT&PF Statewide, Cultural Resources Manager Citations Cook,Linda and Frank Norris 1998 A Stern and Rock-Bound Coast:Kenai Fjords National Park Historic Resources Study.National Park Service Alaska Support Office,Anchorage, Alaska. Department of the Interior 1918 General Information Regarding the Territory of Alaska. Department of the Interior Office of the Secretary. Government Printing Office,Washington D.C. 1920 Reports of the Department of the Interior for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1919: Volume II, Indian Affairs, Territories.Government Printing Office,Washington D.C. 1921 Report of the Governor of Alaska to the Secretary of the Interior. Government Printing Office,Washington D.C. Hanable,William and Vincent Ponko,Jr. 1983 The Navy In Alaska: 1867-1941 An Historic Preservation Study. Institute for Public History, Anchorage,AK. Hudson, Heather 2015 Connecting Alaskans: Telecommunications in Alaska from Telegraph to Broadband. University of Alaska Press,Fairbanks. United States Naval Communications N.D. Early Radio Communications in the Thirteenth Naval District: Washington, Oregon,and Alaska. Electronic Document accessed on January 10, 2018 at http://www.navy-radio.com/commsta/todd- seattle-01.pdf '15 0 �o h \ \asf,Rd E Ash St di Seward Airport-SWD Bear Di 0 O F oM1 A" 0 Seward Boat Harbor SEW-00835 _ B per= rt T Seward T ;..� . m Alaska SeaLife Center Q Figure 1: Location and vicinity of SEW-00835 SEWARD BASE UNE — — — rr 1 1 I 3 4D l 3 Ell MI Dj DO O I00 200 300 400 1�9 f SCALE IN FEET 0 10 II I 1 1 t _ — till 1 1 \ LEGEND I. 208' Radio lowers 2. Double Cottage I 3. Garage 4. Storage Shed 5. Tennis Court 6. Double Cottage 7. Double Cottage D. Double Cottage i Y. Operating kin a Power House I I l8. Workshop I 11. Fuel Tanks — _ _ _ — _\\,.. NJ A V A L R A ID CIS TAT I CI N 169 S E W A R ID Figure 2. Map of SEW-00835 from Hanable and Ponko 1983 R129/20171 Figure 3: August, 29,2017,the Powerhouse at SEW-00835 Undermined by Resurrection River r Y�' iewI 05 / 13 / 2009 Figure 4: May, 13,2009,the Powerhouse at SEW-00835 Not Yet Undermined by Resurrection River