A 3:25 am photo by Robert Lype shows the Chena River and the Fairbanks waterfront, with Golden Heart Plaza and its iconic clock.
But where the once-tallest building in Fairbanks used to serve as a backdrop, there’s an empty spot.
The Polaris building, built in 1952, was an 11-story apartment complex built to address a housing shortage. Back then, Fairbanks was booming with federal investment in Cold War-era military infrastructure, such as Ladd Field and Eielson Air Force Base. The building also housed delegates for Alaska’s Constitutional Convention and was a hub of activity in the city. It had a gymnasium and a hair salon at one time, and the top floor had popular restaurants. Later, it became a hotel.
Then came the 2001 flood, when 800,000 gallons of Chena River water poured into the basement of the building, adding to its decline. Mold, asbestos, PCBs, and other hazardous materials made it too costly to renovate.
The building was abandoned in 2002. It was too toxic to be sold and the owner stopped paying the property taxes, so it became a city problem.
Deconstruction was planned for years, but with an EPA grant, demolition finally started in 2023 and will conclude this fall, forever changing the Golden Heart City’s skyline. All of its materials are being shipped out of state, as the building is considered toxic due to PCBs.
In the Robert Lype photo above, you can see the few stories remaining as demolition continues this week. In the photo to the right, taken by Lype in 2023, the work had just commenced.
