Anchorage Downtown Library: Historic City Hall to Get $2.5M Revamp

Anchorage to Revitalize Downtown with New Library in Historic City Hall

Anchorage is moving forward with plans to convert the Historic City Hall building on Fourth Avenue into a new public library, a project that officials say is central to the revitalization of the downtown area. Construction is slated to begin in July, with an anticipated opening in early 2027.

The project will coincide with planned overhauls of nearby Peratrovich Park and Town Square Park this summer, according to Municipal Manager Becky Windt Pearson. “The end vision is that we’ll have a lovely reconstructed new park outside of a new public library facility,” she said during a recent tour of the old City Hall building.

The establishment of a downtown library has been a long-held goal for the city, fueled by the passion of Janet Goetz, a downtown resident who lamented the closure of her local branch in 1986 and disliked the Loussac Library in Midtown. Upon her death in 2010, Goetz bequeathed over $7.2 million to the Anchorage Library Foundation to fund the operations of a downtown library within walking distance of her former home.

The project has seen support from multiple administrations, including those of former mayors Ethan Berkowitz and Dave Bronson, and now Mayor Suzanne LaFrance. Two key elements finally aligned to make the project feasible: sufficient funding and a viable structural plan.

Operating costs for the new library will be covered for 12 years by funds from Goetz’s donation, administered through the Anchorage Library Foundation. The $2.5 million needed for structural renovations will come from a federal COVID-19 relief grant awarded to the Anchorage Library Foundation by the state’s Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development in 2021. Windt Pearson emphasized the importance of utilizing these funds before the grant expires at the end of 2026.

Initial concerns about the building’s ability to support the weight of bookshelves have been addressed. Engineers determined that the most suitable location for the library is within a former vehicle bay, once used to house fire trucks, attached to the existing City Hall office spaces. This area features a concrete slab foundation capable of handling the necessary load.

The library will be located near the Log Cabin Visitor Center and Egan Center. Visit Anchorage, the municipality’s tourism bureau, will relocate to the front rooms of the building, allowing the library to occupy the former garage space.

The Historic City Hall, constructed in 1936 with federal Public Works Administration funds, was designed by local architect E. Ellsworth Sedille. It served as Anchorage’s primary municipal building until 1979, housing the mayor’s office, city council chambers, police department, and other civic functions. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

The new library is envisioned as an Alaska-centric resource, offering digital media access, a meeting room, and a quiet study space, catering to both residents and visitors. Officials anticipate the completion of the project and opening to the public in the first quarter of 2027.